Negan is coming to THE WALKING DEAD in familiar form!
After a long, grueling search, The Walking Dead has finally found the actor who will play the most infamous villain in its history: Negan!
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who has starred in The Good Wife, Extant, and Watchmen among many other roles, will play the notorious villain who leads The Saviors, a violent community of survivors who destroy any community in their path to ensure their own survival. He known for being a ruthless murderer who carries around a cherished baseball bat covered in barbed wire dubbed “Lucille”.
Negan will make his first appearance in the Season 6 finale and will become a regular starting in Season 7.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jeffrey Dean Morgan beat out a slew of actors inculding Timothy Olyphant, Matt Dillon and Garret Dillahunt for the role of Negan, which was advertised for auditions under the false name “Orin”.
SPOILERS BELOW!
Negan is perhaps best known in the comics for brutally murdering Glenn in his first encounter with the members of the Alexandria colony. The moment is considered one of the most iconic in the comic’s history, so the official casting gives credence to a fan theory that Glenn is indeed alive and will make it back to Alexandria– only to die when Negan introduces him to Lucille.