LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘The Walking Dead’ franchise continues to grow as ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ hits the screens. ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ is a spin-off of the original series, and follows Negan Smith and Maggie Greene, two characters most fans are already familiar with. This spin-off series was announced in 2022, with the title ‘Isle of the Dead’ which has been renamed since. It is no secret that ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ will focus on the dead…or undead.

While there is plenty of excitement surrounding 'The Walking Dead: Dead City', one standout is the cast, particularly Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Morgan will be returning to his role as Negan, a pivotal character in 'The Walking Dead' franchise. However, despite Morgan's evident dedication to the franchise, he initially had no plans to come back. In fact, he was prepared to leave 'The Walking Dead,' but fortunately, that didn't happen.

Why did Morgan almost leave the franchise?

AMC's 'The Walking Dead: Dead City' received an untimely announcement that left disappointed fans, cast members, and even a few producers. This premature announcement revealed the fate of certain characters, which caused some dissatisfaction. Jeffrey Dean Morgan expressed his disappointment in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, stating, "That's not the way we should have gone about it." Additionally, Morgan shared his initial thoughts on the series finale of 'The Walking Dead' and the spin-off, saying, "If you had told me a year ago that I would be doing it, I would've said there's no way. I was planning to end this and move on to a new adventure." However, something evidently changed, leading to the creation of 'The Walking Dead: Dead City' and the continuation of Negan's story.

In the same interview, when asked about what made Morgan stay with this franchise, he responded, "I think that The Walking Dead ending and walking away from it would have been a noble thing for all of us to do. But the story was so good and worth telling that it simply came down to me not being able to say no. I felt invigorated and wanted to continue it." Well, fans can rest peacefully, knowing that as long as the story remains good, Morgan will remain committed to the franchise.

Other franchises

Morgan's career trajectory is impressive, having appeared in a considerable number of movies and TV shows. He is known as a franchise aficionado, and you might recognize him from popular series such as 'Supernatural,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' and 'The Good Wife.' While he has spent a significant amount of time on these shows, his longest tenure has been with 'The Walking Dead,' and he continues his journey with 'The Walking Dead: Dead City.' Additionally, Morgan will be joining 'The Boys' for their fourth season, and only time will tell if his involvement with any other franchise can surpass his dedication to 'The Walking Dead'.

You can tune in to watch 'The Walking Dead: Dead City' starting on June 18, 2023.