At Comic-Con San Diego, farewell to the star of "The Walking Dead"

Fans of "The Walking Dead" present at Comic-Con San Diego, one of the world's largest pop culture celebrations, said goodbye to sheriff Rick Grimes, star of one of America's most popular television series, on Friday.

series "The Walking Dead" and its spin-off "Fear the Walking Dead" were present Friday in this city of California, on the west coast of the United States, and the British actor Andrew Lincoln confirmed the rumors, attested by Robert Kirkman

"This will be my last season playing the role of Rick Grimes," announced in front of several thousand people, Andrew Lincoln whose character has almost missed any episode in the eight previous seasons. 9659003] The official confirmation of his departure was therefore reserved for this gathering, the great annual convention of followers of superheroes or comic characters, which attracts each month of July some 100,000 people, many of them dressed in elaborate costumes

"I love this series. That's all for me. I love the people who make this series. I promise not to cry. I cried enough on the screen, "quipped the 44-year-old actor.

Based on a comic of the same name created by a trio of writers, including one of the producers of the television program, Robert Kirkman , the post-apocalyptic series portraying the United States as a country of the living dead was a huge success.

Between 2013 and 2017, the series ranked at the top of the 18-49 age group It also has the largest number of television viewers in the history of cable television in the United States.

– Ninth season in October –

The plot of the series – which had debuted in 2010 on the AMC cable channel – focuses on Rick Grimes Waking up in the hospital after being shot at, he finds himself alone in a world where human beings are turned into undead , "the walkers."

"I am a little moved. I've been here for nine years, "Andrew Lincoln told reporters after his last appearance for" The Walking Dead "at Comic-Con in San Diego.

" I love this place and I love seeing fans , and you have been such an essential part of my experience. But my relationship with Mr. Grimes is far from over, "he said.

Impossible to say if the actor was referring to the filming of his last episodes at the moment, to the possibility of appearing in one of the many franchised projects or something completely different.

At Comic-Con, AMC aired a nearly six-minute trailer of the ninth season showing Rick in much less hectic times, leading Survivors' camp, with emerging tensions with his lieutenants

Disguised or not, San Diego fans and the rest of the world will have to wait until October to discover the sheriff's latest season on their small screen.