This article originally appeared in the Den of Geek New York Comic Con special edition print magazine.
it’s possible for you to find the digital copyhere.
The Walking Deadseason 7 premiere may be the most anticipated hour of television this fall.
Who did Negan kill in last Aprils finale?
Ask any crew or cast member: Theyll all tell you they dont know.
And if they do, they wont say.
People will ask, and then Ill say, Do youreallywant to know, though?
Do youreallywant to know?
McBride says of the question shes had to dodge all summer.
And they get all jittery thinking I might tell them, actually.
Of course Im not going to.
They dont want to know.
Its a good point.
The cliffhanger is a narrative equipment as old as storytelling itself.
It keeps us focused, keeps us talking, makes us want to consume more.
But the cliffhanger is not just a gimmick.
Lets not downplay the importance of opening the new season with the shows most violent death.
In fact, the story in season seven is reactionary: The first death sets everything else in motion.
His use of the English language, I find rather brilliant.
I view him as a guy whos survived this long in this apocalyptic world.
I dont think hes necessarily a hundred percent evil.
I think hes just done what he has done to make it survive this long.
Hes a fucking asshole.
Morgan is actually a little worried about how much people will hate Negan: Its a definite concern.
Ill be interested to see how the fans handle it.
Its going to be a lot more than the people are expecting.
Youre about to see someone that you love just fucking take it.
Its more than violent.
Negan does seem like a once in a lifetime opportunity for an actor.
But underneath his concern, Morgan is relishing the part.
This character in particular has been such a joy to play for me.
Were kind of midway through filming season seven, so I feel like Im pretty locked in.
Why else would he introduce the character in such a big milestone issue?
Morgan promises that a bloodthirsty Negan will get to swing Lucille more than once this season.
In fact, the actor hints that Negan will begin his reign of terror in fine form.
The villain will take more than one life in the premiere.
Negans not just going to kill one person in [the premiere], Morgan says.
Hes not afraid of bashing in skulls.
McBride says its always very sad to say goodbye to a co-worker.
Theres just that very somber undercurrent, says McBride.
But we have a lot of very funny people in our cast.
Even though its somber, theres still laughter.
I dont know, its maybe something about some actors that grow up trying to deflect sadness.
I guess I call them tap dancers.
Theres laughter, but youre also going to miss the people when they go away, you know?
I miss everybody thats gone, and it doesnt get any easier.
Morgan was a little nervous on his first day, too.
It had to be at least a little awkward.
You know, this was a big, emotional time for everybody.
Someone that was part of theWalking Deadfamily was going to have an untimely ending.
This strange calm comes over me just as they say action, which is very weird.
I cant say thats happened to me a lot in my career.
The old world, where Rick was in charge of his own life, is over.
Alexandria lives for Negan and the Saviors now, and its not an easy transition for everyone to make.
Negans taken over and it shows.
Youre going to see the characters that you love going through hell.
Theres never been a shake-up like this on the show.
Thats part of who Negan is.
He swears like the best sailor in the world, Morgan says.
What weve had to do for broadcast television is completely take out his favorite word.
Id love to be able to sneak one in.
But the flipside is that the big iconic scenes, we do two ways.
Morgan says the cast and crew lovingly call the alternate scenes the fuck takes.
Negan isnt the only comic book character being introduced this season, though.
Fans will also meet King Ezekiel, the leader of a settlement called the Kingdom.
Hes played by Khary Payton, whos best known for his voice acting on several DC animated series.
The Kingdom is a really cool set, McBride says.
The set design is just really creative over there.
The Kingdomites really got it going on!
Its a very interesting place with interesting characters.
Of course, theres King Ezekiel.
Im excited that the fans are going to see him, finally.
Inside the community, youll also find gardens and stables.
Its a living, breathing place full of people trying to build the new world.
Theyve lived a different life there not an entirely easy one, but theyve built a place that works.
A place that works much differently than any other place weve seen on the show.
The Kingdom even has its very own tiger.
Ezekiels pet tiger, Shiva, will undoubtedly be one of the major talking points of season seven.
We first see Shiva in the trailer, roaring at someone off-camera who probably runs right out the door.
But the actors dont actually have anything to worry about.
Shiva isnt a real tiger.
She was brought to life through the magic of CGI and animatronics.
I think having a live tiger wouldve been really nice.
But having a live tiger wouldve been a liability.
And I mean, we werent standing around saying, I wish we had a real one.
We were all going, Jeez, how did they do that?
This tiger is really amazing.
Just the animatronics alone.
Both McBride and Morgan describe season seven in short, ominous answers.
Welcome to the new world is all McBride will say on the matter.
Morgan simply laughs and says, Brutal.
It was pretty amazing watching that finale when he first got there, she says.
Hes such a pro, he was so prepared.
Also, hes just great to have as part of the gang now.
Hes got a really cool personality.
Hes well-liked among the cast and crew.
Hes got our people at his mercy.
I dont think weve ever been at anyones mercy like that.
Im just thinking ahead to the premiere and Im just kind of speechless when I think about it.
But theyve actually done a ton of that.
The actor has had people stop him on the street to tell him that they hate him.
I want to know where you live!
Morgan recalls the woman saying.
Yet, Morgan just cant stop talking about how much fun hes having.
Bring on the hate, he says.
The Walking Deadreturns on October 23 on AMC.
Dont forget to listen to Den of GeeksWalking Deadpodcast,No Room in Hell!
John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek US.
Find more of his work onhis website.
Or justfollow him on Twitter.
