The Walking Dead season 6: Jeffrey Dean Morgan has been cast as Negan, will become series regular in season 7

The Good Wife star will play a mjor role in an upcoming plot twist

Warning: spoilers Ahead

The Walking Dead has cast a new major villain, AMC has announced.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan of The Good Wife fame has been tipped to take on the role of Negan, one of the leading villains in Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic series.

The Hollywood Reporter has been told by a source close to the show that the new character will arrive in the finale of season six and will go onto become a major character in season seven.

In the comic books Negan first appears in the 100th issue when he comes into contact with Rick Grimes.

As of issues 145, Negan is still alive and has become the primary villain, having killed Glenn with his signature weapon “Lucille” – a baseball bat wrapped in barbred wire that is affectionately named after BB King’s guitar.

The Hollywood Reporter’s source also reveleaed that Morgan will make a one-off appearance in the finale of season six, before announcing that he becoming a permanent character in season seven.

The inclusion of Negan was hinted at during a scene in the season five trailer, in which a Terminus community member is shown swining a baseball bat at Glenn’s head. However, after Glenn appears to have been eaten by zombies in the most recent episode, it may be hard for him to make a comeback fight against Negen.

Whether the show will take an alternative stance on the death of Glenn is yet to be revealed.