Jeffrey Dean Morgan to revitalize ‘Walking Dead’ as Negan

Producers of “The Walking Dead” are looking to bring some new life to the show. Naturally, they turned to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who has quickly become showrunners’ top choice any time there’s a casting call.

When CBS decided to revamp the summer sci-fi drama “Extant” starring Halle Berry, out went Goran Visnjic as her husband, and in came Morgan as J.D. Richter, a tough-as-nails bounty hunter. He got more than he expected trying to help out Berry’s character, an astronaut impregnated by an alien, but the two stars also demonstrated real chemistry together.

Then in September, Morgan joined the network’s critically acclaimed drama “The Good Wife” as a mysterious investigator hired by legal eagle Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies). And once again, the sparks are flying between Morgan and his co-star, and writers have been hinting at a romance brewing between the two characters.

On “The Walking Dead,” Morgan will play the villainous Negan, the leader of a group of survivors in Washington, D.C., called the Saviors. Morgan confirmed that he had gotten the role of the profane, butt-kicking Negan during the Nov. 19 episode of “The Chew.” “I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s gonna be fun.”