AMC/Gene Page(NEW YORK) — While The Walking Dead is based on a successful comic series, creator Robert Kirkman keeps the show deliberately different than the books, to preserve the suspense. But with the comics’ “All Out War” storyline currently unfolding on the small screen, fans are wondering what will become of Negan.
The mid-season finale airs on Sunday and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s bat-wielding baddie Negan has vowed to get even with Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, whose militia rose up against Negan and his Saviors.
Morgan’s Negan has been a highlight for fans since he emerged during the cliffhanger ending of season 6 and started season 7 with a bang — literally — when it was revealed he killed Glenn and Abraham.
“He’s great on set, and he’s just a genuinely good dude…You would expect him to be an aloof maniac, but he’s really not,” Kirkman jokes of Morgan. “His portrayal of Negan is just absolutely amazing — it’s better than I ever could have imagined.”
For Morgan, Negan’s dialogue is double-edged sword: as fun as it is to deliver, he often has to learn two versions of many of his scenes: one fit for air, and the other for the uncensored Blu-rays.
“Especially if it’s a scene ripped straight from the comic book, and most of Negan’s stuff is…we take out all the F-bombs,” he explains. “I know I can says seven “sh**s,” you know…but you can’t say the F-bomb…And then we do a [Blu-ray]…it’s all there!”
After the extended finale, which starts at 9 p.m., fans will be able to decompress with an episode of Talking Dead. “It’s a good therapy session,” jokes Kirkman, who also produces the after-show.
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