The Walking Dead Showrunner: Real-Life Married Couple the Morgans Are “Amazing Together” in Negan Prequel

The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang says real-life married couple Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton Morgan are "amazing together" in "Here's Negan," the upcoming prequel episode taking a swing at the ex-villain's origin story. In "Here's Negan," airing as the last of the six new extended season 10 episodes coming in early 2021, Carol (Melissa McBride) takes Negan (Morgan) on a journey that leads him to reflect on his pre-apocalypse life with the terminally ill Lucille (Mrs. Morgan). The episode not only reveals the never-before-seen Lucille with guest star Mrs. Morgan but is the first time the acting couple has appeared in scenes together.

"For the Negan fans, we're going to do our version of the comic book story 'Here's Negan,' and Lucille is going to be played by JDM's real-life wife, Hilarie Burton Morgan. And they're amazing together," Kang said when previewing the extended season 10 during The Walking Dead Holiday Special. "So I'm really excited for everyone to see our various people getting to shine."

Morgan's co-star Josh McDermitt, who plays ex-Negan underling Eugene, said during the Holiday Special that he's "really excited" for the episode pairing the married couple.

"I read the scene direction for the table read on JDM's episode 'Here's Negan,' and I texted him after. I was like, 'This is probably gonna be my favorite episode of the series,'" McDermitt said.

"Here's Negan" satisfies Morgan's desire to tell Negan's origin story, parts of which the former Savior leader has disclosed to such characters as Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) and Alpha (Samantha Morton) of the Whisperers.

"I'm very lucky to play him because he's become so well-rounded, and this kind of redemption arc that he's been on has been very interesting to play. And I think the Negan Lives comic book kind of carries that on," Morgan said over the summer of the one-shot comic, set after Negan's exile from The Walking Dead comic book in the wake of the Whisperer War.

"It's a great little story, it's just a little slice of a day in the life of [Negan]. It's great, and I would love to [film that]," he said. "I always wanted to film that and then the prequel to Negan, there's a comic book for that as well. I'd love to do that."

"Here's Negan" premieres Sunday, April 4, on AMC, after The Walking Dead returns with new episodes on February 28. Follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter for all things TWD.