‘The Walking Dead’ Star Jeffrey Dean Morgan Shows Off New Look

The Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan is now rocking a trimmed hair and beard look.

The photo, shared by the official Walking Dead Twitter account, sees Morgan posed alongside eight-year-old son Gus at the beach. The 52-year-old actor now sports a buzzed look that comes as a drastic departure from Negan’s expected appearance — one the bat-swinging bad guy has maintained since he first stepped into the show in the last moments of its season six finale.

Morgan could also be seen with his fresh cut in a photo shared to his personal Twitter account July 6.

Earlier this year, Morgan wielded a bushy beard while making the press rounds for Dwayne Johnson-led blockbuster Rampage — prompting speculation the beard belonged to Negan in the upcoming ninth season of The Walking Dead.

Negan was defeated and captured by arch enemy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in the season 8 finale. The ousted Savior leader was kept alive as a prisoner of Rick’s Alexandria community, a controversial decision that will continue to play out in season 9 as Rick faces turmoil from close allies Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan).

Morgan’s beard came as more proof the show would be undergoing a lengthy time jump, mirroring a similar jump forward Robert Kirkman’s comic books experienced following Negan’s defeat and the conclusion of the All Out War storyline.

In the comics, the A New Beginning storyline followed, catching up with Rick Grimes and the united communities of survivors more than two years after the war. That storyline saw Negan as an unshaven prisoner with an appropriately long beard.

The Walking Dead is now shooting its ninth season and recently saw the departure of longtime leading man Andrew Lincoln, who apparently wrapped filming on the series earlier this month: the actor was spotted in a London airport, far from the series’ Georgia set. Lincoln will be famously exiting the series this upcoming season and is expected to be gone by its mid-season finale.

AMC is expected to debut the season 9 trailer at San Diego Comic-Con Friday, July 20, ahead of The Walking Dead‘s October season 9 premiere.