When "The Walking Dead" season 6 episode nine airs next year, there will be new terror fans would surely hate and comic book nerds will surely love.
The last episode ended with the word "Negan."
That's not just any common name. In the comics, he is the scariest douchebag, bat-wielding enemy of Rick Grimes' group.
With the highly-praised comic book character getting a live action treatment, fans of the zombie-themed TV series are wondering how different he will be to other villains that have already appeared, particularly The Governor.
Showrunner Scott Gimple said Negan, to be portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is terrifying, charismatic, and funny at the same time.
"In my opinion, The Governor is more despicable and damaged," Gimple told TVLine.
"Negan is terrifying in that he isn't a psychopath. He's charismatic and funny. And even sort of friendly. But he just kills, and it doesn't bother him. He's the star of his own movie and we're all Red Shirts. He's not nuts. But you can't reason with him because he's got it all worked out. He knows exactly the way the world works. And he's the one in control. Negan also has a bizarre sense of empathy. He actually recognizes your bad luck in you running into him, yet it doesn't change a damn thing. Robert [Kirkman] has created one of the great pop culture characters of the past 20 years. And we desperately want to get him right."
Negan is expected to appear in "The Walking Dead" season 6 episode nine titled "No Way Out" which will air on Feb. 14.
Morgan, known for his roles as the Comedian in movie "Watchmen" and as John Winchester in "Supernatural," is also excited about his new project. He said the thought of playing a kick-ass villain is what made him say yes to the AMC show.
"It's a whole different ballgame. Y'all know about Negan?" he told the crowd during the "Supernatural" PasCon. "Me, too. It's why I did it."
"When my agent/manager called they said, 'You've been offered this thing on The Walking Dead...it's to play this big bad.' At the time, they didn't know the character's name, because I think it was supposed to be a secret. And I'm like, 'Is it f--king Negan?' And they're like, 'I don't know, we're going to have to call you back, hold on a second.' And I'm like, 'No, it's f--king Negan. And I'm f--king doing it.'"
