The Walking Dead season 5 episode 9 spoilers: Rick Grimes to reunite with Morgan to fight the Whisperers?

The Walking Dead season 5 is all set to return during early February and lead star Andrew Lincoln has promised a whole new season when the AMC zombie horror thriller returns.

"The scripts that I've read and what we've been filming so far - it feels like we're moving into a new show," Lincoln told the Daily Mirror.

"It just feels like a new place visually and also story-wise ... It's very hard not to be brutalised by this world - but there is a sense in Nick that he's going to pull people through."

Rumours are abuzz that Rick will reunite with Morgan who comes with new information to warn them of some impending fatal risks ahead.

"So after hearing some interviews with Andrew Lincoln, he has gone on the record saying that Episode 9 is incredible, but episode 10 is the episode that he has always wanted to film. There is also plenty of speculation as to when Morgan will catch up with the group. What if episode 10 is the episode he always wanted to film, because it means that his buddy Lennie James will finally be joining back up with the group after their two past meetings in the series," a Reddit report suspected.

Currently, Rick Grimes and Co are out in the open, their hope for sanctuary having faded after their deadly encounter with Gareth and other cannibals at the Terminus.

Their only other hope was a permanent shelter at Father Gabriel's church but during the season 5 mid-season finale that safe heaven was also swarmed by Walkers while Beth was shot dead at the Atlanta hospital.

This has brought the group's morale down and pushed them on a path of insecurity and hopelessness.

According to the new poster released by AMC, Rick will helm the group like never before and guide them to safety. Even the caption of the poster reads, "The new world will need Rick Grimes."

As of now, the group was dealing with the infected zombies along with other deadly survivors who never hesitated to kill humans in order to save on the limited supplies and to feed upon them.

However, there are rumours that Morgan will spill the beans about the Whisperers, the humans who survived the apocalypse by wearing rotten zombie skins, and who are more dangerous than the cannibals of the Terminus.

Watch the latest TWD Season 5 promo released by AMC here.