"The Walking Dead" is currently on its mid-season break. When it returns in February 2016, fans are in for a more thrilling ride. Negan, the series' most terrifying villain, is set to arrive in Alexandria, ready to cause havoc among the remaining survivors.
After much speculation, the role has been given to actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who says he's excited to play the infamous character.
"I'm like, 'Is it fuckin' Negan?' It's fuckin' Negan, and I'm fuckin' doing it. Mostly, I can say 'fuck' all the time," the actor told fans during a presscon.
In the "TWD" comics, Negan is known for his brutality as much as he is famous for his foul mouth. While Morgan is excited to play the character accurately, he may need to censor his language. According to Forbes, the actor may not be able to say "fuck" all the time, as AMC is not a pay channel. Hence, the network has stricter guidelines as compared to HBO and Netflix.
How will AMC handle Negan's colorful f**king language?? Jeffrey Dean Morgan has your answer! https://t.co/CwQO3tZCYN pic.twitter.com/s4BjDMjzdn
— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) December 8, 2015
Though "TWD" deals with violent themes, the show has always been mindful with their choice of language in the past. In one episode when Rick (Andrew Lincoln) said the memorable line, "They're screwing with the wrong people," the word "screwing" was actually a replacement for a curse word. Producer Scott Gimple had to rewrite it or else AMC would have had to mute the word.
"It would have been weird," Gimple said.
However, Morgan is reportedly intent on keeping Negan as authentic as possible.
"We're going to push AMC - the plan is to push them as far as they can because it's who Negan is. He uses some colorful language. Reading the comic, it's important," the actor said. "It's our intention that this character is going to leap off the pages of the comic book. It's very important that that's who it is. Some of the characters there's much more leeway, but Negan is a guy that you want to keep as true as possible, and that would be how I want to play him as well."
It is interesting to see how "TWD" and Morgan will reach a compromise on how to give life to the infamous villain. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, it might be a while before the show's fans will get a glimpse of the much-anticipated character. Negan is reportedly making his first appearance on the show's 100th episode, happening on the Season 6 finale.
"The Walking Dead" Season 6 resumes airing on Feb. 14, 2016 on AMC.
