It will be a true family affair on the set of The Walking Dead. Hilarie Burton will be joining her real-life husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan on the show, portraying his character Negan’s wife, Lucille in a recurring role.
“Been pretty hard to keep this a secret,” Burton tweeted Tuesday. “But I love working with @JDMorgan. I love watching him become #Negan and take on that swagger. And I love the @TheWalkingDead family. They’ve been a part of our family for ages and I’m so grateful for their kindness.”
In Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comics, Negan was married to Lucille before the events of the zombie apocalypse. She was diagnosed with cancer, and Negan, whom Lucille was aware had been having an affair, broke off the relationship to spend as much time with his wife in her final days as possible. Her passing came simultaneously to the zombie virus outbreak, and she reanimated as a walker in her hospital bed. Negan named the infamous barbed-wire baseball bat which he used to protect himself and others after his late wife.
First reported by Comicbook.com, Burton will make her debut in one of the additional six episodes of Season 10 slated to premiere on AMC in early 2021.
Best known for her role on One Tree Hill, Burton recently recurred on Council of Dads and Lethal Weapon. She and Morgan hosted AMC’s Friday Night in With the Morgans, a half-hour video-chat show based out of their farm in upstate New York, which premiered in April.
Been pretty hard to keep this a secret. 💕
But I love working with @JDMorgan . I love watching him become #Negan and take on that swagger. And I love the @TheWalkingDead family. They’ve been a part of our family for ages and I’m so grateful for their kindness. Xoxo #hereslucille https://t.co/9tRh7NB8WY— Hilarie Burton Morgan (@HilarieBurton) November 3, 2020