The rumors first sparked after the actor was spotted hanging out with his former 'The Walking Dead' co-stars near the set of the AMC series.
- June 19, 2018
AceShowbiz - Jon Bernthal is indeed reuniting with his "The Walking Dead" co-stars onscreen. After photos of the "Fury" actor hanging out with Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus surfaced online, sources confirm that he will return for the show's upcoming season 9.
TVLine reports that Bernthal will appear in one episode of the season, reprising his role as Shane Walsh. AMC declined to comment on the reports, but there has been speculation about how the character will return on the show.
Bernthal's character Shane Walsh was killed off in season 2 of the zombie-themed series. His friend Rick stabbed him with a knife when Shane lured him into a trap, and his zombified version was shot in the head by Carl, ruling out the possibility of his return.
He made a brief appearance in season 3 as a ghostly apparition haunting Rick. With lead actor Lincoln's departure imminent in the show's upcoming season, Shane may return in Rick's hallucination or in a flashback to help send off Rick.
Lincoln reportedly will exit the show during season 9. He is said to appear in only a half dozen episodes of the season. Another original actor, Lauren Cohan, is also said leave the show in season 9, as her ABC show "Whiskey Cavalier" got picked up for midseason.
AMC is reportedly giving Norman Reedus (Daryl), one of the remaining few original stars, a "substantial" pay boost to keep him on the show.
Bernthal has starred in such films as "Fury", "Sicario", "The Accountant" and "Baby Driver" since he's written off "The Walking Dead". He is currently the lead of Netflix's Marvel series "The Punisher" after appearing in the second season of "Daredevil". The 41-year-old actor is also reportedly in talks to star in an untitled Ford vs. Ferrari project as Ford marketing executive Lee Iacocca.
