'The Walking Dead: World Beyond' star Nico Tortorella knows where Rick Grimes is and teases the spinoff will lead us toward the long-awaited movies

• Nico Tortorella stars on the new "Walking Dead" spinoff "The Walking Dead: World Beyond."
• During a set visit, Tortorella told Insider the series will lead us to the Rick Grimes "TWD" movies that were announced in 2018.
• Tortorella also claims to know "exactly" where the missing Rick Grimes is located.

It's been about two years since Rick Grimes flew away from "The Walking Dead" in a mysterious helicopter. While fans anxiously await to learn his whereabouts, at least one person claims to know Rick's location.

"I know exactly where he is, but I'm not allowed to answer that question," Nico Tortorella told Insider and a small group of journalists last November from the set of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" when asked where Rick may be.

When met with disbelief, Tortorella doubled down.

"Yeah, I do. I'm not f---ing with you," Tortorella said. "I absolutely do."

Kirsten · Nico Tortorella knows where Rick Grimes is, says World Beyond is imperative for TWD movies

Tortorella plays Felix, the head of security detail at an Omaha, Nebraska, community on AMC's third "Walking Dead" series, which takes place 10 years into the zombie apocalypse. If you're skeptical about Tortorella's claim, there's real reason to believe the actor knows Rick's whereabouts.

Felix wears a jacket emblazoned with the same symbol seen on the helicopter that took Rick and Anne away on season nine. In the last year, we've learned the symbol stands for the Civic Republic Military (CRM). The Omaha community is one of three factions that makes up the CRM.

Before joining the spinoff, Tortorella, who uses they/them pronouns, asked showrunner Matt Negrete and chief operating officer of "TWD" universe Scott Gimple why more "Walking Dead" was necessary during a two-hour phone conversation last July.

In the end, Tortorella was intrigued by the ultimate goal of the limited series. They flew down to Richmond, Virginia, three days later to start shooting on their birthday, July 30.

"What's happening right now is pieces are getting put together to lead us to the movies, which will then lead us to even more storylines," said Tortorella. "It's all part of a bigger picture and we're just characters in this story."

"I think this show is leading us to the bigger picture of a connection to all three of the movies," Tortorella added. "We're just gathering as much information as possible to wherever Rick is."

First announced in November 2018, the planned the Rick Grimes trilogy is set for an unspecified theatrical date from Universal Pictures. During a virtual San Diego Comic-Con panel in July, "TWD" creator Robert Kirkman said he's "very hands-on" with shaping the story and has been in contact with Andrew Lincoln "quite frequently" during the development phase.

"The Walking Dead: World Beyond" premieres on AMC on Sunday, October 4 at 10 p.m. after the season 10 finale of "TWD."

You can follow along with our "Walking Dead" coverage here.