“The Walking Dead” may be on its midseason break now, but exciting things are expected to happen when the hit AMC series returns to the small screen for the second half of Season 6. One is the anticipated appearance of the villain Negan, which, according to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is going to be “cool.”

Morgan is the actor set to play Negan in “The Walking Dead.” The character is the leader of The Saviors whose presence in the zombie-riddled world of AMC’s series was already hinted in Season 6A. Although Negan is said to appear in Season 6's finale, as early as now, Morgan is already looking forward to play the role.

During the recent Supernatural PasCon held in Pasadena, California, Morgan shared why he decided to accept the offer to join “The Walking Dead” series, E News reports. He recounted how his manager called to say that he was offered a “big bad” role on the AMC series.

“At the time, they didn't know the character's name, because I think it was supposed to be a secret,” he stated. “And I'm like, 'Is it f------ Negan?' And they're like, 'I don't know, we're going to have to call you back, hold on a second.' And I'm like, 'No, it's f------ Negan. And I'm f------ doing it.'"

He also joked how he’s already “prepping” himself to receive “some hate mail” from die-hard “The Walking Dead” fans over the Negan role. However, he also shared during the Supernatural PasCon that the opportunity was “a whole different ballgame” for him.

Morgan explained that the character Negan is different for him since most of the roles he played were good guys with a “rough exterior” but possessed a “heart of gold.”

"I think the challenge for me in this role is going to be, is there any heart in Negan? For me I look at that as a challenge as an actor,” he said. “And that's the kind of thing that I embrace and really look forward to. I am super excited about it; it's going to be cool."

Meanwhile, “The Walking Dead” creator and showrunner Robert Kirkman had high praises for Morgan during his Variety interview. Kirkman mentioned how the actor “checks every box needed for Negan” given the “wide range of personality traits” that the character has.

Talking about Negan, Kirkman told Variety that the character himself is a “catalyst” that is set to change many things in “The Walking Dead.” He explained, “[Negan]…. really messes a lot of things up for Rick in a lot of terrifying ways. There’s a lot of cool stuff in store for the ‘Walking Dead’ fans when he debuts.”

“The Walking Dead” Season 6B will premiere in the U.S. in February 2016.

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