Hilarie Burton joining her real-life husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan on The Walking Dead to play Negan’s wife Lucille
Hilarie Burton will join the cast of The Walking Dead as Lucille – the wife of Negan -who is played by her real-life husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
The 38-year-old actress confirmed the exciting news in a tweet on Tuesday saying that it’s ‘been pretty hard to keep this a secret.’
Fans of the long-running AMC show already know Lucille as Negan’s beloved barbed wire wrapped baseball bat which was named for the character’s wife.
Big news: Hilarie Burton will join the cast of The Walking Dead as Lucille – the wife of Negan -who is played by her real-life husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Been pretty hard to keep this a secret,’ the One Tree Hill star gushed on social media. ‘But I love working with @JDMorgan. I love watching him become #Negan and take on that swagger. And I love the @TheWalkingDead family.’
Adding: ‘They’ve been a part of our family for ages and I’m so grateful for their kindness. Xoxo #hereslucille’
According to Deadline, Hilarie’s character Lucille will be a recurring role featured in the six additional episodes that have been added to season 10 of the post-apocalyptic drama.
The outlet reported that in the graphic novels that the series is based on, Negan and Lucille were married prior to the events of the series.
Been pretty hard to keep this a secret,’ the One Tree Hill star gushed on social media. ‘But I love working with @JDMorgan. I love watching him become #Negan and take on that swagger. And I love the @TheWalkingDead family.’
What to expect: In the graphic novels that the series is based on, Negan and Lucille were married prior to the events of the series; Jeffrey Dean Morgan has played the love-to-hate-him character since season seven
‘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,’ Deadline wrote of her storyline.
Adding: ‘Her passing came simultaneously to the zombie virus outbreak, and she reanimated as a walker in her hospital bed.’
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, 54, joined the zombie show in season seven as the love-to-hate-him character Negan – the brutal leader of the Saviors.
Iconic: Fans of the long-running AMC show already know Lucille as Negan’s beloved barbed wire wrapped baseball bat but it turns out it was named for his wife
In real life, Morgan and Burton have been together for over a decade. They were first romantically linked in 2009 and welcomed their first children together the following year.
The couple share two children together – a 10-year-old son and two-year-old daughter. In 2019 the duo finally tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony.
Due to complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-production on season 10 of The Walking Dead was temporarily suspended earlier this year.
AMC decided to add additional episodes to the 10th season, which will air in 2021, and delay the premiere of season 11.
Happy times: In real life, Morgan and Burton have been together for over a decade and have two children together; they tied the knot in 2019