THE WALKING DEAD Casts Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan

The Governor?  Pfffft, please.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that the AMC series The Walking Dead has cast Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the role of the villainous Negan.  According to the article, Negan will arrive in the Season 6 finale, directed by Greg Nicotero.

Morgan, 49, is best known to comics fans as The Comedian in Watchmen.  He's also had numerous television appearances, including Supernatural (as Papa Winchester), The Good Wife, Extant, Magic City, Grey's Anatomy, Tru Calling, Star Trek: Enterprise, Angel, and Sliders.  He'll be playing Thomas Wayne in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and appeared in the comic book films The Losers (as Clay) and Jonah Hex (as Jeb Turnbull).

Created in 2012 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, Negan first appeared in The Walking Dead #100 as the leader of a group of over fifty survivors in Washington, DC called the Saviors, who subjugate other communities in the area for resources in return for their protection against the undead.  Brutal, foul-mouthed and possessed of a twisted sense of humor, Negan carries a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire he named Lucille.

Negan, along with fifty other Saviors, snuck up on Rick Grimes' group and subdued Rick by surprise.  They lined up all of the survivors from the van (Rick, Carl, Glenn, Maggie, Sophia, Michonne, and Heath), telling them that he wanted revenge for the Saviors that were killed. Without an agreement from Rick, Negan made a deal that everything belonging to the Alexandria Safe-Zone now belonged to the Saviors.  After a long talk about the new world order and whom he should beat to death using Lucille, he finally chose his victim at random -- Glenn.  

Maggie panicked, as Glenn attempted talking Negan out of it.  Negan ignored him and smashed Glenn's skull in by slamming Lucille down hard on Glenn's head.  Negan laughed and when Glenn attempted to get to his feet, the former remarked that "he's taking it like a champ" before swinging Lucille at Glenn, dislocating his jaw and beating Glenn to death. Negan told the mourning and crying group that the Saviors would be back in one week to collect half of everything that the Alexandria Safe-Zone owned, or there would be more killings.  Rick vowed that he would avenge Glenn and kill Negan.  Negan laughed at this, beat Rick with his bare hands and turned around, leaving the survivors with Glenn's corpse.

The Walking Dead airs on AMC Sunday nights at 9 p.m. EST.