‘Walking Dead’ Promotes Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Tom Payne to Series Regulars
Austin Amelio and Xander Berkeley will also reappear on hit AMC series on regular basis
Joe Otterson | July 7, 2016 @ 10:55 AM
Last Updated: July 7, 2016 @ 11:01 AM
AMC
“The Walking Dead” has promoted four actors to series regular roles for its upcoming seventh season.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Tom Payne, Austin Amelio and Xander Berkeley will all be making more appearances on AMC’s hit zombie apocalypse drama.
Morgan of course plays Negan, the new main antagonist and leader of The Saviors. He made his grand entrance in the Season 6 finale with a bone-chilling monologue just before killing a member of Rick’s group. Of course, we still don’t know who that was.
Payne plays Paul “Jesus” Monroe, a member of the Hilltop colony who has become fast friends with Rick and the gang. He is known to be a skilled fighter with wisdom beyond his years.
Amelio plays Dwight, a member of The Saviors who previously had a run-in with Daryl out on the road. Dwight eventually assisted in capturing Daryl, Glenn, Michonne and Rosita and serving them up to Negan. Now sporting some gnarly burn scars on his face, Dwight is Negan’s second in command.
Berkeley will return as Gregory. The leader of the Hilltop colony, he was quick to buckle under pressure from Negan and The Saviors. Following a failed assassination attempt, he partners with Rick and his group in order to kill Negan — no easy task in the “Walking Dead” universe.
Why it's her: Michonne and Rick began a romantic relationship this season, and what better way to crush fans' hearts than to make him watch her get beaten to death?
Why it's him: Reedus has a new AMC travel show and may want to free up his calendar. He was also on "Talking Dead," an honor usually reserved for people whose characters died.
Why it's her: She would make sense as a substitute for Glenn.
Why it's not her: Would the show really kill a sick pregnant woman who everybody loves?
AARON (ROSS MARQUAND)
Why it's him: He's had so little screen time, he's disposable.
Why it's not him: He's had so little screen time, his death would have no weight. We only have this one picture of the poor guy. If the show wants to kill him, it should give him more lines first.
EUGENE (JOSH MCDERMITT)
Why it's him: He's made a point of stepping up to prove himself a survivor, and, well irony.
Why it's not him: He still has room to grow. And so does his mullet.
Why it's him: Abraham died in the comics in the manner that ultimately led to Denise's death on the TV show a few weeks ago. With his arc complete in the comics, it would make sense to kill him off now.
Why it's not him: His refusal to cower seems to have maybe won him Negan's respect.
Why it's not her: Sasha turned her hopelessness around last season, and it would be too depressing for her to die now.
Why it's her: She's in the sweet spot for "Walking Dead" deaths: popular and long-running, but not so popular and long-running that the show can't go on without her.
Why it's not her: Because it would feel like the show once again built up a character just to kill her off when it was dramatically convenient.
CARL (CHANDLER RIGGS)
Why it's him: Some fans don't like him lately, and they didn't even soften when he lost his eye.
Why it's not him: Hasn't he been through enough? Also, Negan charmingly commands, "If anybody says anything, cut the boy's other eye out and feed it to his father," right before he bludgeons his victim to death. Chances are he wouldn't say that if he was about to kill Carl.
