'Fear' Star: 'The Walking Dead' Crossover Isn't A "Gimmick"

When The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead cross paths tonight, the mix will come as more than just a "gimmick," says actor Lennie James, whose Morgan is at the center of the crossover.

The move over from the flagship series to spinoff Fear "needed to be right for the character," James told HollywoodLife.

"I didn't want it just to be a gimmick that was to have people interested and talking about for a couple of months, but then actually have no real benefit to the character," James said. "So, first and foremost, it had to be right for Morgan — and I'm very protective of Morgan and his legacy on this show. And then it needed to be right for me as an actor."

Being pitched the idea of switching shows and continuing on as Morgan in a different setting halfway across the country forced James to ask himself hard questions:

"Did I want to keep playing Morgan? Did I want to still be associated with this world? Did I want to still be spending however many months of the year, seven months of year for how ever many years, not in my home... was it right for my family?" James wondered.

"So all of those things needed to be considered, and ultimately this is a very rare opportunity. I couldn't think of another actor who had been offered what I was being offered," James said. "So, ultimately it was a challenge I felt I was up for and didn't want to turn down."

James is on record as stating the two shows crossing paths was only ever going to happen with Morgan at its epicenter; the idea came by way of Walking Dead executive producer Scott Gimple, who has since been promoted from showrunner on the main series to overseer of the entire Dead brand for AMC.

The actor, who has been with The Walking Dead on and off since its very first episode in 2010, revealed in an interview with Digital Spy leaving the show after serving as a full time cast member over its last couple seasons was ultimately his decision.

Not only did the change up come with a change of scenery for both the actor and his character, it came with a bigger role for Morgan to play over in Fear The Walking Dead, as its cast is dwarfed by its counterpart's expansive cast.

'Survival Sunday' launches tonight starting at 9/8c on AMC with The Walking Dead's extended season 8 finale, immediately followed by Fear The Walking Dead's season 4 premiere.