Is Andrew Lincoln quitting 'The Walking Dead'? Robert Kirkman talks Rick's death

Rumours are rife that 'The Walking Dead' actor Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes, is thinking of quitting the show, as filming the zombie apocalypse is taking a toll on his family life.

An OK!Magazine report claimed that Lincoln has been planning his exit for a while now, as he doesn't want to keep dragging his family back and forth between London, where he resides, and Atlanta, where 'The Walking Dead' is filmed.

The media outlet even noted that the actor suggested that Rick, who is one of the central characters, will be killed off so that the producers wouldn't have to recast the role.

However, a representative for the actor told Gossip Cop that there was no truth to the rumours of Lincoln wanting to leave the AMC show.

Lincoln's character Rick Grimes is alive in the comic books as well as in the television adaptation of "The Walking Dead", and it remains unlikely that he is killed off any time soon.

However, series creator Robert Kirkman did note during a Reddit AMA that he once thought of killing Rick Grimes early on in issue 6.

"I honestly considered killing Rick in issue 6 and making the comic about Carl having to grow up with this guy he saw kill his father. But in the end, I decided against it. That was never the plan, but it was a thought that popped up that I entertained while I was writing issue 6," said Kirkman.

Season 6 of "The Walking Dead" will return to AMC in October, and the new season is going to be much more brutal than the previous one. Filming spoilers have hinted at Rick and group having to deal with more zombies, and there are chances fans will finally get to meet Negan, one of the most notorious villains in "The Walking Dead" comic book series, by the end of the season.

Viewers of the zombie apocalypse will also see Jesus and the Hilltop community in season 6.