Before Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes departs the cast of AMC’s The Walking Dead, a familiar face will return to the popular zombie drama. After rumors started circulating, it has now been confirmed that original cast member Jon Bernthal will return for one episode of the series’ ninth season.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that the actor will reprise his role as Shane Walsh, who was a fan-favorite character in the first two seasons of the series, and admittedly part of the reason why The Walking Dead became the big ratings hit that it once was.
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Circumstances around Shane’s return are kept under wraps. Since the character suffered a very conclusive death in the second season’s penultimate episode, it’s safe to assume that the character will either appear in a flashback segment, or perhaps as a hallucination of sorts — two things that The Walking Dead has been known to do from time to time.
Bernthal’s return to the series is probably not a coincidence, considering that Season 9 will feature the departure of series lead, and Shane’s one-time best friend, Rick Grimes.
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The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler, Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter, Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan.