With season seven of The Walking Dead on the horizon, anticipation for these new episodes is at an all-time high. The show, adapted from the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, is a post-apocalyptic story that follows former police officer Rick Grimes, as he and a group of survivors fight zombies in a disease infested America. The show is hailed as television's number one show and has held that title for the last six years. The show is so popular that it spawned a prequel spin-off series, Fear The Walking Dead, which will begin its second season at the end of August.

Now let’s talk about the newest antagonist for a second: Negan. He wreaked havoc last season. Due to last season's cliffhanger, fans were left clueless as to who will get killed. According to the Walking Dead press conference at SDCC, things will pick up where they left off, which means things are going to get dark very quickly. Don’t worry, you won’t be waiting long to see who gets the bad end of Lucille. Negan actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan says he was left in the dark about the cliffhanger, but he does guarantee things will not be the same after the start of the new season.

"This year is gonna be ok, but next year I'm sure I’ll get a slew of middle fingers from fans," said Morgan. "The cast has been through a lot, but knowing I am the cause for a major shift change, might just anger fans,” he laughs.

The cast sang their praises as Morgan was able to jump right into the role without any prep time.
"He just hopped off a plane coming from the set of The Good Wife, had two hours of hair and make-up, and he got right down to it," says Andrew Lincoln. “He did such an amazing job that when each scene was complete we gave him a round of applause. He’s an absolute f**king menace!"

Morgan was initially nervous joining this cast because they have built years of chemistry, but they embraced him with open arms. "He really nailed the dialogue!" according to Steven Yeun. 

"Yeah, I turn their world upside down, which made me nervous, but I actually had this sense of calm come over me. This role is really special for me."

Producer Greg Nicotero recently told fans of the comic and the show that they shouldn’t expect things to play out exactly like the comics. They pay tribute to the important elements from the comics but feel it would be a waste to go exactly panel for panel. They are sure they have found a way to blend their own ideas with that of the comic in hopes fans will enjoy what they have come up with.  

Are you ready for season seven of The Walking Dead? This seems like it will be one heck of an emotional rollercoaster. New episodes are set to premiere in October, 2016 on AMC, so be on the lookout!

The Walking Dead Images via AMC

Cover Image by Jodeci Zimmerman