Fans of the zombie thriller "The Walking Dead" are speculating that Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) is leaving the show, particularly by death, after season 8's midseason finale.
The prediction comes from The Spoiling Dead Fans, who are known to have correctly predicted several plot twists and character deaths in the past. The fans' speculations are based on the series' filming, which some of them have closely followed.
It was reported that several nights at the Alexandria set included a lot of gunfire, shouting, explosions and fire. On another night, a gun battle was seen where Carl was reportedly the only main character confirmed to be filming.
On Aug. 31, Carl filmed a scene with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) by the Alexandria gates, where gunfire was also heard. After this meeting, a loud scream was supposedly heard from inside Alexandria, which fans speculated was from Michonne (Danai Gurira). A loyal audience of the show would know that Negan has humiliated and threatened to kill Carl many times in the past — from chopping his arm off to pulverizing his head with Negan's iconic bat.
This was said to be his last night of filming, and there were witnesses who saw his shirt covered in blood while struggling with another character on the ground.
Adding fuel to the fire, Riggs posted a cryptic tweet on Oct. 16, saying, "[I don't know] if I'll ever be as successful as I am right now, but I'm so glad I got this chance to help tell a story that actually impacts people."
The first episode of "The Walking Dead" season 8 showed several intercuts to a red-eyed Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) who seemed to be standing near a grave. This further heated up the speculation that he was mourning the loss of his son.
"The Walking Dead" has been around since 2010 and Riggs has grown a lot in the series. Now 18 years old, the actor was accepted to college earlier this year. Whether that will contribute to his decision to leave the show, fans will have to wait a few more weeks until the midseason finale to find out.
"The Walking Dead" season 8 airs Sundays, 9 p.m. EDT, on AMC.
