In the sixth episode of the seventh season of The Walking Dead, “Swear,” Heath made his first appearance on the show since three-quarters of the way through the sixth season. A fairly major character in Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel series, Heath never made much of a splash on the television show. In fact, after appearing in that season seven episode, Heath disappeared, many assumed forever.
Heath, in fact, had been written out of the show because the actor who plays him, Corey Hawkins, had landed the lead role in the Fox reboot of 24. After one season, however, 24: Legacy was cancelled, which frees Corey Hawkins to return to The Walking Dead. According to The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple, Hawkins will return to the series. However, it won’t be anytime soon.
“He will be on the show. He will be within The Walking Dead again.” Gimple told Entertainment Weekly. However, it will not be in season eight. “Not a huge chance [of seeing Heath in season eight],” he said. “But we definitely have not seen the last of Heath, period. I will say that.”
Last we saw of Heath, he was on a supply mission with Tara, who fell off a bridge and floated on a river to Oceanside. That left Heath, surrounded by walkers, to fend for himself. We didn’t witness what happened to him, but he did leave one clue behind:
There have been theories, but no one has been able to decipher the meaning of PPP. Hopefully, Scott Gimple and Co. will clue us in, but it won’t happen until at least the ninth season. In fact, we may see Glenn return to the series before Heath. In the meantime, various other The Walking Dead characters will continue to perform Heath’s functions from the comic book.
Hawkins is currently filming Georgetown, directed and starring Christoph Waltz. The Walking Dead returns with its 8th season premiere — and its 100th episode — on October 22nd.
via EW
