Three things should have you questioning the future of Carl Grimes on "The Walking Dead."

1. Actor Chandler Riggs, now 17, just got accepted to college:


Auburn University is in Alabama, although it's still not that far (about 1.5 hour drive) from where "Walking Dead" shoots in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Still, is he going to commute? TWD just finished shooting Season 7 -- the filming schedule runs from early May to late November -- so it stands to reason that Riggs would be in college for at least a few months of the 2017 shooting season. Even if he decides to defer a year or whatnot, what would that mean for Carl's scenes on the show? He's not a lead player in every scene every week, but the comic book character is pretty darn key, and if Riggs does stay on the show and commutes, does that mean even less screen time for CORAL?

2. Riggs apparently just finished his contract.

Chandler Riggs's father, William, posted a congratulatory note on Facebook that got fans in a tizzy, because it's easy to read it as The End. However, Chandler will turn 18 in June 2017, so maybe this #freedom is just for Papa Riggs. The actor is probably signing a new contract for the future. Right? Here's what Papa Riggs posted:

Completed 7 years on TWD! #freedom #thewalkingdead

A photo posted by William Riggs (@dadszombieroadtrip) on


There was actually a longer version posted to Facebook November. 17, which is around the same time that TWD Season 7 finished filming. That post no longer seems to be active, but here's what it read:

"7 year contract completed! Grateful to AMC, Cast & Crew, TWD fan base and especially Chandler for always being 100% dedicated. Whether it was getting up at 4AM, working in the freezing cold past 2AM, leaving his friends and carefree kiddom behind, scrambling to make up missed schoolwork, he has done it without complaint and always made me proud & amazed to be his dad!"

3. Carl is stepping into the danger zone

This week's Season 7, Episode 5, finally showed Carl stepping into his comic book role, hopping on board a truck with the plan to kill Negan.


In the comic, Carl and Negan have a weird relationship where Negan respects the "future serial killer." Comic book Carl is younger than TV Carl, but the Negan/Carl relationship was already teased last week, so it looks like they are sticking with it. However, Daryl (who is not in the comic) is already blurring the line of what they might be doing with Carl's Negan story. It's possible a big twist is in Carl's future, since Daryl and other characters could pick up more of comic Carl's story. Probably not -- since comic book writer Robert Kirkman loves Carl, and would probably fight for him to outlast even Rick on TV -- but you never know.

Also, Episode 5, "Go Getters" gave Carl and Enid sweet roller-skating and kissing scenes, and TWD does love calm-before-the-storm moments. No one is allowed to be happy for long, so was that foreshadowing? *Spoilers* showed Carl (and Enid) on set filming for the season finale, Episode 16, so they appear to live that long. But will they both return for Season 8?

The "Walking Dead" stars are now heading home, having completed Season 7 filming last week, and they probably won't return to set until mid-April 2017 for early May filming -- if Season 8 sticks with the usual schedule. So it may be a while before we learn who is definitely returning.

Are you worried for Carl, or do you think Chandler can easily balance college and TWD scenes?

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.