Looks like we’re going to be seeing a lot of Negan…
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The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news of the quartet’s status change, notes that The Walking Dead will now enter Season 7 with a record 20 series regulars, although that number will quickly drop down to 19 once Negan’s victim is identified. The news comes as no surprise seeing that their characters are very significant in the comics with Payne playing Jesus, an ambassador for the Hilltop community led by Berkeley’s Gregory, and Amelio playing Dwight, right hand man to Morgan’s Negan, the villainous leader of The Saviors.
Intriguingly, THR also noted that the series may soon announce who has been cast in the role of Ezekiel, the enigmatic and unconventional leader of the men that Morgan and Carol encountered in the sixth season finale. Season six killed off series regulars Tovah Feldshuh (Deanna) and Alexandra Breckinridge (Jessie), along with recurring characters Denise (Merritt Wever) and Nicholas (Michael Traynor) – before unloading a deadly cliffhanger in the season finale.
When Morgan’s casting was first revealed, the assumption was that he would be promoted to a regular. The actor told ET during an April conference call that while news of his casting was only confirmed in November, he’s been waiting to portray the iconic role for nearly four years.
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Spoilers ahead. Do NOT keep reading unless you want to know details from the comic books. “They have parallel storylines”. I absolutely want to explore Negan having that odd respect for someone which I think was the hallmark of that relationship and we’ll tell versions of that story. “When season seven kicks off, it’s going to kick off directly from where we left it”, Morgan promised.
