Matthew Lillard Had The Role of Negan in THE WALKING DEAD… for About 10 Minutes, and He Talks About It
When The Walking Dead introduced Negan in 2016, Jeffrey Dean Morgan didn’t just play the role, he owned it. The barbed-wire bat, the swagger, the menace… it instantly became one of the most talked-about villain debuts in TV history.
But as it turns out, there was a brief moment where things could’ve gone in a completely different direction because the character was almost played be Matthew Lillard.
Lillard, known for everything from Scream to Scooby-Doo, recently shared the crazy behind-the-scenes story on The Big Thing podcast. After going through multiple callbacks for Negan, he was told he didn’t land the role. End of story… or so he thought.
Years later, during a random encounter at San Diego Comic-Con, he finally learned just how close he actually came.
“The creator of the show comes over, and he said, ‘You have no idea. You had the part for like 10 minutes. At that point, I would’ve had another 10 years of work.”
Yeah, ten minutes. That’s how long Lillard was technically Negan before Morgan stepped in and sealed the deal.
It’s kind of wild to think about, especially when you consider how defining that role became. Morgan’s version of Negan carried the character through multiple seasons of The Walking Dead and continues to do so in the spinoff The Walking Dead: Dead City. The character evolved into a fan-favorite antihero.
But Lillard’s take? That would’ve been something else entirely.
"He’s super masculine, and I just would’ve been more wicked and funny. He was super badass and masculine. We would have had very different takes."
That’s a fascinating what-if. to think about Morgan leaned into a grounded, intimidating presence, while Lillard hints at something a little more chaotic, maybe even unhinged in a different way. If you’ve seen his performance as Stu in Scream, you already know he can bring that unpredictable energy.
Lillard clearly understands the legacy of the role, too.
"That part goes on. He becomes a legend."
Negan became one of the defining characters of The Walking Dead universe, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else stepping into those boots now.
Still, it’s fun to picture what Lillard might’ve done with it. He’s shown plenty of range over the years, including more recent work like Daredevil: Born Again, and there’s no doubt he could’ve delivered something memorable.
Meanwhile, The Walking Dead franchise keeps pushing forward. New seasons of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and Dead City are on the way, proving this universe isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
But now I can’t stop thinking about that alternate version of Negan… the one that Lillard would’ve given us. I’m sure he would’ve been great had he actually got the part.