The former Punisher could have starred alongside the current Punisher.
Through his leadership, zombie killing skills, and meme-worthy expressions, The Walking Dead’s Rick Grimes has become one of most iconic television characters in recent memory.
However, the Rick Grimes we know today, played by Andrew Lincoln, was apparently envisioned as being portrayed by another actor entirely.
Uproxx reports that former Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont’s first casting choice for Grimes was Thomas Jane.
Jane has appeared in a number of television and film projects, but he is perhaps best known for his take on Frank Castle for the 2004 Punisher film (which we highly recommend). He even reprised this role in the independent short film The Punisher: Dirty Laundry.
Jane as he appeared in 2004’s The Punisher
Early in the development of The Walking Dead, Darabont wanted the show to air on HBO and star Jane (who he had worked with before in The Mist). HBO (obviously) passed on the series, and before production of the show began on AMC, Jane was already committed to his HBO series Hung.
Ironically, the Punisher still made an appearance on The Walking Dead after all. Jon Bernthal, who portrayed Shane, is set to appear as Frank Castle on the second season of Netflix and Marvel’s Daredevil. It’s a small world after all.
Would The Walking Dead be a different series if it were Jane leading the survivors in Alexandria? Maybe. Would he have done a better job than Lincoln? We’ll never know, but now with six seasons under his belt, it’s hard to picture Rick as anyone else besides Andrew Lincoln.
The Walking Dead returns to AMC on February 14, 2016.
