After joining The Walking Dead back in 2016, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has become a firm fan favorite as Negan, even when he was ruthlessly killing off some much-loved characters with his trusty Lucille. However, with the series coming to an end, there would not have been a better time for Morgan to step away from the role and take on some new challenges. While he is still doing the latter, which includes joining season 4 of The Boys, Morgan recently opened up about why Walking Dead spin-off Dead City was enough to make him want to continue playing Negan in that universe for a little while longer.
The Walking Dead debuted back in 2010 as one of the most exciting shows of the decade, and its arguable high point was the arrival of Negan in the finale of its sixth season in an episode to that was so tense you almost forgot to breathe. From that point, the series seemed to be on a downward slide, and although many have agreed that the last two seasons have brought some of the magic back, it seems like now is the time to end the show. However, the presence of Morgan’s Negan has continued to be the best thing about the series, and that is not over yet. While speaking to EW, Morgan explained why he is not letting go of his alter-ego just yet. He said:
"If you had told me that a year ago that I would be doing it, I would've said, 'There's no way. I'm going to end this and walk away.' The new adventure awaits doing something else.' I think that The Walking Dead ending and walking away from it would've been a noble thing for us all to do. But the story was so good and so worth telling that it simply came down to, I couldn't say no. And I felt invigorated and wanted to continue it."
The Walking Dead Will Debut a Number of Spin-Offs Next Year
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The Walking Dead comic series was ended by creator Robert Kirkman unexpectedly in 2019, which was something of a sure signal the end of the AMC show was not too far away. That ending is now imminent, with the final eight episodes coming this October. However, just like the reanimated corpses that are the signature of The Walking Dead, the series may be dead, but there are several Lazarus-like resurrections coming soon.
Alongside Dead City, which along with Morgan also stars Lauren Cohan as Maggie, there will be more from the current Walking Dead spin-off shows Fear the Walking Dead and Tales of The Walking Dead, a new series that focuses on Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon, and the long-awaited return of Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, who will also get his own limited series rather than the previously announced Rick Grimes movies.
All in all, the Walking Dead is not going anywhere in the near future, and as long as the dedicated fan base keeps returning, so will the zombie hordes. None of the new spin-offs currently have air dates but expect more news of that coming soon after the conclusion of The Walking Dead this fall.