Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Walking Dead series finale.The Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan didn't want to finish reading the series finale's script, as he didn't want to show to end just yet. Morgan has been playing Negan on The Walking Dead since the end of season 6, where the former antagonist killed off beloved characters Abraham and Glenn. Over the course of his 5 seasons on the show, Negan has transformed from a ruthless antagonist to a reformed core survivor who wishes he could take back his past days of tyranny.
Speaking with Insider, Morgan revealed that he didn't want to finish reading the final script for The Walking Dead because he didn't want the long-running zombie series to be over. The Negan actor explained how he knew he wouldn't be able to watch the final episode with his family knowing he was never going to see co-stars like Norman Reedus on the set of the show anymore. Check out Morgan's full statement below:
I need to see it by myself without distractions. I don't wanna watch with my kids or my wife. I know it's gonna be emotional. I know it's gonna be hard, and I'm in denial that I'm not gonna see all those people again. So I need a minute. This has been f***ing hard just talking about the fact that it's ending.
I don't know that I read the whole script because it's the end and I didn't want to get to that last page. I remember going over it really fast.
I always talk to Norman [Reedus] about every script we read, and then we kind of check in and give notes and the last one was really hard for us to even talk about.
What's Next For Negan In The Walking Dead Universe?
While Morgan was saddened by the end of The Walking Dead's main show, his time as Negan in The Walking Dead universe is far from over. Audiences will see Morgan reprise his role as Negan in April during The Walking Dead: Dead City, a sequel and spinoff to The Walking Dead following Negan and Maggie as they set off for New York City with an unknown mission. While details about the show have yet to be revealed, Morgan has teased that audiences may see hints of the old Negan during The Walking Dead spinoff.
Morgan's prior tease at old Negan returning makes it unclear whether Negan would be reverting to an antagonist role in Dead City or not. Given that the show is being billed as featuring Negan and Maggie working together in the Big Apple, it's likely he won't be presented as a villain. Instead, there's a chance that Negan will enter a Savior-like mindset in order to ensure his and Maggie's survival in an unfamiliar location. If this does happen, then it may lead to a further rift between Negan and Maggie, especially after she admitted she couldn't forgive him for Glenn's death in The Walking Dead's final episode.
The series finale of The Walking Dead also hinted at the possibility that Negan is isolating himself from major communities like Alexandria and the Commonwealth. If this is the case, then it's possible whatever Negan viewers see in Dead City is a vastly different person from the one they were left with at the end of The Walking Dead's main show. While it remains unclear what Negan's future in The Walking Dead universe will be, Morgan's strong reaction to the end of the flagship series underscores just how much passion he'll be bringing to the table as Negan in Dead City.
Source: Insider