Nipping at the heels of the nail-biting teaser trailer from earlier today, AMC executed its one-two punch during SDCC’s ongoing The Walking Dead panel, not only confirming that season 7 will premiere on October 23, but also rolling out the first full-length trailer that finds our heroes at the mercy of Jeffery Dean Morgan’s sneering baddie, Negan.
Running through each character one emotionally touching vignette at a time, the full trailer is a sombre reminder of the road so far, and effectively ups the ante ahead of the long-awaited reveal on October 23.
In related news, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed earlier today that Khary Payton (Teen Titans, General Hospital) has boarded AMC’s flagship as a series regular. The exact identity of that character is considered a fairly big spoiler, so we’ve included it after the jump.
[zergpaid]That role is Ezekiel, the leader of a new community of survivors that all but confirms that The Walking Dead is headed to the Kingdom toward the latter stages of season 7.
When teasing fans with the horrors that await, the show’s director Greg Nicotero presented an overview of Negan’s twisted personality.
“Negan is that kind of guy. He’s the kind of guy who imagines himself on stage at a high school production and he loves every second of it. So, I don’t really see a lot of quiet contemplative moments with Negan. I feel like with Negan it’s really going to be about him gesticulating and him sort of relishing in the sound of his own voice while he commands the stage in front of whoever’s alive.”
Andrew Lincoln reprises his defining role as Rick Grimes, while season 7 will also feature Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Steven Yeun, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Sonequa Martin-Green, Michael Cudlitz, Josh McDermitt, Ross Marquand, and Christian Serratos.
Mark the calendar, The Walking Dead will make its long-awaited return to AMC when season 7 premieres on October 23. But who do you think will be at the mercy of Negan and Lucille? Let us know by commenting below.