Comic-Con: ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9 Trailer, Andrew Lincoln Confirms Exit

The panel for The Walking Dead just kicked off with the new trailer for season 9, and the confirmation of the show’s return on October 7th. The footage reveals, what else, a ton of internal conflict as Rick, played by departing star Andrew Lincoln, builds the utopia that his son Carl always hoped for. Part of that conflict looks to be between Rick and Daryl, and it definitely seems as if Norman Reedus will be stepping up as the new lead.

Also seen in the footage are new cast additions Dan Fogler and Eleanor Matsuura. Fogler is playing Luke, a character who didn’t last long in the comics, while Matsuura is playing Yumiko.

The trailer was followed by Lincoln confirming once and for all that he is indeed departing the show after this season. While trying to hold back tears, Lincoln talked about his love for the show and the people who have worked with him over the years, and that includes the fans. But one thing that is clear from this trailer is that incoming showrunner Angela Kang is basically soft rebooting the series. This will look very different when it return on October 7th.