The Walking Dead's Morgan shoots down that Old Man Rick theory. Sorry

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The Walking Dead season 8 is nearly upon us! This weekend we'll finally return to the land of Rick, Negan, and the Walkers and one of the biggest questions we're hoping will be answered is about that shot of Rick from the trailer. 

You know the one I mean. Rick is lying in bed looking significantly grayer (AKA, older) than usual, causing fans to speculate that this might be the confirmation they've been waiting for that the whole show is happening in his mind. 

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, the theory goes that Rick never woke up from the coma he fell into after being shot in the opening episode of the show and that the events of The Walking Dead are really just his crazy coma dream. Some people think the shot of him from the trailer is Rick really waking up from the coma and realising none of it was real. 

It's an interesting theory and would certainly be a bold move for the show, but sadly, one cast member has confirmed that this is not the case. I recently interviewed Lennie James, who plays Morgan on the show, about what we can expect from the upcoming season and he had this to say when I asked him if he paid any attention to the fan theories:

"I don’t hear them very often to be absolutely honest, but I did hear – in the trailer that we showed - there is a shot of Rick in a bed and he slightly looks different to the way that he normally does and I did hear that lots of fans thought that that was Rick waking up out of the initial coma that he was in in episode 1, and that he was only now waking up out of it, and that the whole zombie apocalypse had just been a figment of his imagination. 

"That one was fun, and that would have been up there with ‘Bobby getting out of the shower’ in Dallas, but it’s not the case – but it was fun to find out about."

Sorry theorists, it looks like this is one theory which won't turn out to be true. Honestly, I'm glad.  everything we've been through with Rick and the gang it would be a bit of let-down to find out it was all a dream. 

So what does that shot of Rick really mean then? Is it a flashforward? Does it prove Rick wins the war against Negan? Hurry up Sunday!

The Walking Dead returns October 22 at 9pm on AMC in the US and October 23 at 9pm on FOX in the UK. 

Lauren O'Callaghan
Lauren O'Callaghan

Lauren O'Callaghan is the former Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar+. You'd typically find Lauren writing features and reviews about the latest and greatest in pop culture and entertainment, and assisting the teams at Total Film and SFX to bring their excellent content onto GamesRadar+. Lauren is now the digital marketing manager at the National Trust.