The Walking Dead is 'Negan's world now': EW cover

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Someone on The Walking Dead is already… well, dead. If you think the impact of the show’s biggest villain ever will end when the identity of the finale cliffhanger victim will be revealed in the season 7 premiere on Oct. 23, think again.

According to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, whose character delivered those vicious brain-scrambling blows, the introduction of the leather-clad lunatic last spring is only the beginning. Says the actor — in the appropriate vernacular of the man he is playing — “It’s a reset on The Walking Dead world. It’s f—ing Negan’s world now.”

EW explores that world in full detail in our brand new Walking Dead cover package. What do the cast and producers have to say about the fan reaction to that controversial cliffhanger? Why were some cast members dreading filming the first episode back? What are Carol and Morgan up to in a brand new community titled the Kingdom? Who exactly is King Ezekiel, and how did producers bring his pet tiger Shiva to life?

We have answers to all that and more, including the massive impact Negan will bring to the show in season 7. “What you’re going to see in the first half of this season is Negan wreaking havoc,” says Morgan. “And some of your characters that you’ve grown to love are not going to be on the show anymore, and it’s going to end badly for them. It’s going to be a whole new beginning for The Walking Dead. Really, we’ve taken the show and just flipped it upside down. It’s a different show now. It’s going to have a different feeling. You’re going to see your favorite characters in a position that they’ve never been in before, which is super vulnerable and victimized.”

You’ve been warned.

For more on The Walking Dead, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands Friday, or buy it here. And don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

Image zoom MATTHIAS CLAMER for EW