WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "The Walking Dead" comic book and possibly the AMC TV show.
Really, when you think about it, Steven Yeun's Glenn Rhee is one of the few likeable characters on "The Walking Dead." Sure, Rick may be the protagonist, but he's also a cold blooded killer with the personality of a ball of cotton. Daryl is cool in the classic tough guy mold, but he rarely ever speaks so six seasons in and we still don't know that much about him. Ditto for Michonne. Glenn is the only person on the show who feels like, you know, a person. That's why fans are absolutely terrified of losing him.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan will make his "Walking Dead" debut as iconic comic book villain Negan in the season six finale. In the comics, his character (spoiler alert) brutally murders Glenn with his barbed wire wrapped baseball bat named Lucille. While Yeun has said repeatedly that showrunner Scott Gimple could change things up (as he has with several aspects of the source material), a recent development has reignited all of those Glenn Death Theories.
Yeun has signed on to the independent action thriller "Mayhem" directed by Joe Lynch. The movie will (surprise, surprise) revolve around a virus that causes the infected to "act out their wildest impulses." Not quite zombies, but you can see the parallels.
"It's not every day you get to throw action, sci-fi, horror, drama and even satire in the genre blender and hit puree," Lynch said.
Now why is this bad news for Yeun's character on "The Walking Dead?"
It's not uncommon for actors on popular TV shows to get involved with other projects when their show isn't filming. But principal photography for "Mayhem" isn't scheduled to start until later this month in Belgrade, Serbia, which means filming may not get underway until April or May. Typically, "The Walking Dead" begins filming for its fall premiere in May. It's not a stretch to think that Yeun joined "Mayhem" knowing he would no longer be on "The Walking Dead."
This is all just speculation at the moment but the pieces fit together when you stand back and look at the big picture. It's tough to swallow, but Glenn may be headed for that great big Safe Zone in the sky.
"The Walking Dead" airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC.
Follow Brandon Katz on Twitter at @Great_Katzby
