As news continues to spill out of the San Diego Comic Con, we finally have official confirmation that Andrew Lincoln is leaving the AMC zombie drama The Walking Dead.

As the show, based on the comic by Robert Kirkman, prepares for its ninth season, word leaked that Lincoln might be looking to exit the show. When asked about the departure by Kevin Smith in an interview for IMDB, Kirkman confirmed — sort of.

“It looks that way,” he said.

Kirkman noted that while the move will push the comic and show further apart in terms of story lines, he acknowledged the sacrifices Lincoln had made working far from his family on the series. Lincoln is British and his family lives in England.

“He cares about the fans,” Kirkman said. “He cares about the show deeply. He wants to do something special on the way out. We’ve got something amazing planned. I wouldn’t want to spoil anything, but anybody who’s been a fan of his journey, who loves Rick Grimes, who loves the world of The Walking Dead, you’re going to want to see what we do.”