The Walking Dead Cinematographer Shares Look at Time Jump Alt Ending

So with the series finale of AMC’s The Walking Dead, we were left with a pretty good sense of where everyone was at after a one-year time jump shows how the communities have been growing. And, of course, we can’t forget the scenes that brought Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) back to our screens ahead of their spinoff series. But did you know that there was an alternate ending that would’ve taken us further into the show’s future? So you know those narrations that we heard from Judith (Cailey Fleming) at the beginning of the final run of episodes? Those were reportedly meant to set-up a scene at the end of the series that would’ve time-jumped to where we would’ve seen older versions of Judith, RJ, Gracie, and others. And though the Insider first reported the alternate ending based on sources close to the finale, Cinematographer Duane Charles Manwiller (currently: Madame Web) appears to have confirmed it via a recent Instagram post.

Here’s a look at how the Insider report described the ending from sources: “After Daryl rode off, we cut forward to the Freedom Parkway, outside Atlanta — where the iconic shot of Rick rode down from the pilot. See an ethanol-modified van, with a young woman and man in the front seats (in their twenties). And through the scene, we come to realize it’s adult RJ and Judith. Other adult versions of the kids are in the back — Coco, Gracie, etc. They’re out there, looking to escort any survivors back to their communities. Continuing the legacy of their parents. As RJ speaks over the radio, he finishes with: “If you can hear me, answer back. This is Rick Grimes.” (Which, of course, is his name — and the line Rick said in the pilot.) Then we end with the voice of a survivor answering back: ‘…Hello?'” And here’s a look at Manwiller’s post showing a van, with Manwiller confirming that scene was where the image he posted came from: