Following the tense and bloody Season 5 finale of The Walking Dead I thought that we'd be doomed to a long summer devoid of walkery goodness, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. An announcement from AMC earlier today confirmed that former Twilight saga star, Robert Pattinson, has been cast as the ultimate Big Bad from the comic series, Negan!
Despite rumors that Jon Hamm may be in the running for the role, it was Pattison that ultimately won over showrunner Scott M. Gimple and the crew behind the series. The Walking Dead casting director, Sharon Bialy, spoke earlier about the announcement of the fresh faced 28-year-old taking on the iconic role, saying:
All major Walking Dead fans know that when you think of the villainous Negan, the first name that jumps to mind is Robert Pattinson. After recently re-watching Twilight and seeing that baseball scene, I just knew that Pattinson was the right man to wield Negan's infamous weapon, Lucille. We would have been fools not to cast him.
Pattinson is no stranger to the supernatural genre, having played the vampire Edward Cullen in all five of the Twilight Saga films, as well as a wizard in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He revealed his excitement about the role via a press release:
I'm tremendously extremely excited about this new role, as well as the change from film to TV. Going from watching zombie classics such as iZombie and House of the Dead to acting in my own zombie show is a true gift, and I can't wait to bring some sparkle to the character of Negan.
I've watched some of The Walking Dead in the past, and Season 2 is probably my favorite season, seeing them all adapting to life on the farm was amazing.
I hope the fans are as excited about me taking on the role as I am, though from what I've seen on Twilight online forums this has been a long time coming for some.While The Walking Dead
is currently on a break after the Season finale last weekend, Season 6 of the show will start in October, and when it does we can look forward to seeing Pattinson do the character of Negan justice and bring this ultimate comic book villain to life.