Garret Dillahunt Clarifies He's Simply Lobbying for Role of Negan on "The Walking Dead"

CBR

By Brett White

Published Nov 6, 2015

Earlier speculation suggested that "Deadwood" veteran Garret Dillahunt may have been cast as Negan, but he's stated he's only hoping for the part.

UPDATE 11/6/2015 11:55 AM PT: Garret Dillahunt has addressed the Negan casting speculation on his Twitter account, stating that he hasn't been cast in the villainous role on "The Walking Dead" -- though he's hoping to be.

1) It's true, I am a @WalkingDead_AMC fan. I want #Negan. They are looking at some great actors and will make the best choice for the show.— Garret Dillahunt (@garretdillahunt) November 6, 2015

2) So surprised and grateful for all the support my public lobbying has received. Thank you. If not #Negan then something else someday! #WD— Garret Dillahunt (@garretdillahunt) November 6, 2015

Notably, his statement that "They are looking at some great actors and will make the best choice for the show" indicates that the series is indeed actively casting for the role of Negan, something that had yet to specifically be confirmed through official channels.

Even before AMC's "The Walking Dead" began its sixth season, fans were speculating that popular villain Negan would play a part in this specific batch of episodes. The series does take substantial detours from the course laid out by the source material, but it is approaching roughly where Negan was introduced in the comics. Now, a number of Twitter hints indicate that the role of the baseball bat wielding Negan has been cast, and Garret Dillahunt ("Justified," "Deadwood") has won the role.

This news has yet to be confirmed by Dillahunt or AMC, but there are possible clues to be found on Twitter, as reported by Uproxx. First, the actor tweeted a picture of his current reading material -- the volume of "Walking Dead" that introduces Negan.

Reading material for the day: @TheWalkingDead

Just cause. pic.twitter.com/AIvktnk3XX- Garret Dillahunt (@garretdillahunt) November 2, 2015

The Spoiling Dead Fans did some sleuthing and found out that "Walking Dead" cast members John Carroll Lynch and Alanna Masterson started following Dillahunt on Twitter, as did "TWD" showrunner Scott M. Gimple -- and he only follows around 300 people. Then, in response to a fan asking if Negan's barbwire-laced bat Lucille looked familiar to him, Dillahunt replied with a cryptic emoji.

Harley Quinn? ðŸ˜‡ https://t.co/1t6eq0P0Kd- Garret Dillahunt (@garretdillahunt) November 5, 2015

CBR has reached out to AMC for comment. Other outside sources have indicated to CBR that this rumor may not be accurate. "The Walking Dead" airs on Sunday nights on AMC.