Jon Bernthal to return to The Walking Dead for season nine

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

It's been a number of years since Jon Bernthal last appeared on The Walking Dead, but TVLine reports that he will be making an appearance in the upcoming ninth season of the AMC series. Now, you might be scratching your head as to how that could be as the last we saw of Shane Walsh (Bernthal) in the flesh was when shot in the head by lil' Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) after turning into a zombie (after being stabbed to death by Rick). The actor would make one further appearance in the third season as an hallucination, but at long last, Jon Bernthal will be reunited with his Walking Dead family for at least one more episode.

It's not certain just how Jon Bernthal will be returning during The Walking Dead's ninth season, but it will probably be as another hallucination or even a flashback. Rumours of Jon Bernthal's return to the series picked up steam over the weekend when he was spotted hanging out with several Walking Dead cast members near the set in Georgia. It's likely that Bernthal's reappearance will coincide with Andrew Lincoln's departure, as both Lincoln and Lauren Cohan are primed to exit the series at some point during the ninth season. AMC has reportedly offered "substantial compensation" to Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon, to take over the show's leading role. Since exiting The Walking Dead, Jon Bernthal went on to make appearances in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, FURY, SICARIO, THE ACCOUNTANT, BABY DRIVER, WIND RIVER, and of course, Netflix's The Punisher, which is set to return for a second season.