'The Walking Dead' Season 6 SPOILERS: Jeffrey Dean Morgan Cast Saviors' Villain Negan!

After much searching and speculation, The Walking Dead has finally officially cast Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Saviors' villain Negan for Season 6! Read on for details, but be warned that there are spoilers below!

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the hit AMC series has cast Morgan, who has appeared on Supernatural and Grey's Anatomy and in the film Watchmen, as perhaps the most famous villain in the history of the Walking Dead comic series. Other actors considered during AMC's extensive casting search were Timothy Olyphant, Matt Dillon, and Garret Dillahunt.

Morgan will first appear as Negan in the Season 6 finale, which will be directed by Greg Nicotero and which begins production this week in Atlanta. The actor will be a guest star in the finale and will then become a series regular in Season 7.

In Robert Kirkman's comic, Negan first appears in the milestone 100th issue. He is the leader of a group called The Saviors, who use force and threats to take half of the supplies of surrounding communities in exchange for so-called protection from the zombies. Rick Grimes becomes very outspoken about stopping Negan, and the two finally meet in the 100th issue when Negan shockingly and gruesomely murders Glenn with "Lucille," his baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire that he always carries with him.

Negan is still alive in the books as of Issue 145.

Of course, we currently have the controversy about Glenn's "death" hanging over our heads, and some fans were outraged that the show would kill him before he gets to that famous moment with Negan. Showrunner Scott Gimple addressed that issue with The Hollywood Reporter.

"That's one of those questions that any way that I answer could spoil five different parts of the story," Gimple said. "But I hope to show you. We will be showing it. You will be learning the answer to that question as you watch. If I were to answer it now, I would wind up revealing all sorts of stuff from different directions. The lame way of saying it is: You'll have to see."

What do you think of Morgan's casting? Let us know in the comments section below.