Fear the Walking Dead teases crossover with Rick and Michonne spin-off in midseason finale

This article contains mild spoilers for Fear the Walking Dead season 8, episode 6.

Fear the Walking Dead has always been intrinsically linked to The Walking Dead, with characters such as Austin Amelio's Dwight and Lennie James' Morgan having major roles in both shows. Now, it looks as if the spin-off is gearing up for another big crossover – this time, with the franchise's upcoming Rick and Michonne series.

Season 8's midseason finale, which aired on AMC in the US on June 18, saw James' last appearance as Morgan on the show, as the long-time apocalypse survivor took off in search of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln).

"Everything that's happened with Grace, with Mo, it's got me thinking about the people I ran away from when I first came to Texas," Morgan tells Madison (Kim Dickens), prepping to leave on a boat moored on the beach. "They're people that mean as much to me as you all do," he continues. "I gotta find them. I gotta see if they're still there. Right my mistake and make sure they're all okay."

"For me, that's it," James recently told Decider. "It's the end of the end really for me. I mean, if you see me again, pick up the staff and start swinging it, it’s because there was a story presented to me that I just could not say no to. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m up and out." Though what happens next kind of suggests otherwise...

Later, Morgan can be seen training Mo in Aikido, and explaining the importance of finding inner peace. Then, he grabs a walkie talkie, and says aloud: "It wouldn't be the first time we found our way back to each other." Opening the line, he adds: "This message is for Rick Grimes. It's Morgan Jones. Man, I'm gonna come and look for you, whether you're at Alexandria or not. I will leave this message every morning at dawn, and I'll leave the walkie on for a few minutes after. Who knows? Maybe you might even be listening."

Just like how episode 6 is called 'All I See if Red', which references Morgan's crazed monologue to Rick in The Walking Dead season 3, Morgan's call harks back to when Rick used to do the same thing to try and find Morgan after the two parted ways in The Walking Dead's pilot episode. In that first season, Rick would regularly update Morgan, or whoever else was listening to the channel, as to his whereabouts, hoping he'd catch him up one day. As fans know, the pair reunited at Alexandria, near the end of season 5.

Might we see James pop up in Rick and Michonne's outing, which has been officially titled The Walking Dead: Summit? Only time will tell. Last we saw of Rick, he was being held up by a Civic Republic Military helicopter on a muddy bank at Bloodsworth Island, the place where Michonne (Danai Gurira) found said things back in season 10. So there'd have to be some kind of time jump on Rick's end to make it all work out...

Fear the Walking Dead season 8 is expected to continue later this year, though we don't have an official release date yet. For more, check out our handy guide on how to watch The Walking Dead franchise in order, or have a look at our list of the most exciting new TV shows heading our way.