Andrew Lincoln Is Rick Grimes In ‘The Walking Dead’

The dead have met their match, as English actor Andrew Lincoln has snagged the leading role of Rick Grimes in "The Walking Dead," Frank Darabont's upcoming adaptation of Robert Kirkman's Image Comics series for AMC.

"Andrew Lincoln, wow - what an amazing find this guy is," Kirkman told The Hollywood Reporter of the casting. "Writing Rick Grimes month after month in the comic series, I had no idea he was an actual living breathing human being and yet here he is. I couldn't be more thrilled with how this show is coming together."

Lincoln's casting puts to bed a whole host of rumors surrounding the character of Rick Grimes, the former police officer who becomes the leader of a group of survivors following the zombie outbreak. Other actors previously rumored for the role include Mark Pellegrino ("Lost"), Jamie Bamber ("Battlestar Galactica") and Jonny Lee Miller ("Eli Stone").

The actor is one of two main characters cast so far, as Jon Bernthal ("The Pacific") was previously tapped to play Shane, Rick's former police partner turned rival.[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]