he Walking Dead” Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s real-life wife Hilarie Burton has been cast as his character Negan’s dead wife, Lucille, an AMC spokesperson tells TheWrap.
The “One Tree Hill” alum will join the zombie-fighting series for one of its six upcoming “bonus” episodes of Season 10, according to ComicBook.com, which first reported the news of Burton’s addition to the show. As fans of Robert Kirkman’s “TWD” comics know, Lucille is the name of Negan’s late wife, who died of cancer before the apocalypse. Negan named his beloved barbwire bat after her.
“Been pretty hard to keep this a secret,” the “White Collar” alum wrote, sharing the news Tuesday on Twitter. “But I love working with @JDMorgan. I love watching him become #Negan and take on that swagger. And I love the @TheWalkingDead family. They’ve been a part of our family for ages and I’m so grateful for their kindness. Xoxo #hereslucille.”
“The Walking Dead” returned after a very long COVID-forced hiatus last month with what was originally going to be its Season 10 finale, until AMC ordered half a dozen more episodes to make up for the show’s shortened run last spring. At the moment, the plan is for those extra episodes to make it to air in early 2021.
In September, AMC revealed “The Walking Dead’s” 11th season will be its last. Season 11 is expected to span two years, meaning the show will end its run sometime in late 2022.
Meanwhile, the cable network is developing two more spinoffs set in the “Walking Dead” world, on top of “Fear the Walking Dead” and the recently launched “The Walking Dead: World Beyond.” The first will star Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride as their characters, Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier, who have been on the series since its debut. That is scheduled to debut in 2023 and will be run by current “The Walking Dead” showrunner Angela Kang.
Been pretty hard to keep this a secret. ?
But I love working with @JDMorgan . I love watching him become #Negan and take on that swagger. And I love the @TheWalkingDead family. They’ve been a part of our family for ages and I’m so grateful for their kindness. Xoxo #hereslucille
— Hilarie Burton Morgan (@HilarieBurton) November 3, 2020