‘Walking Dead’ Season 5 Spoilers: Negan To Appear? Kevin Durand Reportedly Approached To Play Comic Book Villain

“Walking Dead” comic book fans have been patiently waiting for the AMC series to add graphic novel villain Negan -- and they just might get their wish in Season 5. Rumors of Negan’s introduction to the TV show have been swirling since the Governor (David Morrissey) was killed during Season 4. But it wasn’t until recently that the rumors appeared more of a reality.

Nuke the Fridge is reporting that “The Strain” star Kevin Durand was approached to play Negan on “The Walking Dead.” The Canadian actor, best known for his roles in “Lost” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” allegedly shared the news during a conference call for his FX show. However, he reportedly only stated that he was “approached,” not officially playing Negan.

Durand’s alleged comments come on the heels of Us Weekly reporting in a September spread that the villain would be one of the new faces to grace the screen in Season 5 of “The Walking Dead.” It’s unclear if the magazine was simply speculating about Negan’s arrival in the upcoming season, but the same article did mention the addition of comic book character Father Gabriel -- a confirmed newcomer to the cast.

Father Gabriel will be portrayed by “The Wire” alum Seth Gilliam. News of Gilliam’s casting broke in early May, but the series tried to keep the role a secret by listing the character as “Michael Todd” instead of Father Gabriel. Fans of Robert Kirkman’s comic books quickly caught onto the character’s true identity thanks to a description of “Michael Todd.” The newcomer was described as “having two sides, displaying a friendly, puckish humor but also having a haunted side stemming from a dark secret.” In the comics, Father Gabriel is a reverend of a regional church who survived the zombie apocalypse by locking whole families out of the church.

Father Gabriel’s addition to “The Walking Dead” comes right as the series introduced Terminus. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the other survivors had been searching for a safe haven after the fall of the prison. The Season 4 finale revealed that Terminus was far from the “sanctuary” that it was advertised as. The group was rounded up like animals, stripped of their weapons and locked in a train car -- but not before running past what appeared to be a cage full of human remains.

“Walking Dead” viewers are expecting the Terminus residents to be cannibals, but something much worse could be coming based on the comics. In the graphic novels, the “sanctuary” is actually a large factory referred to as “The Saviors Base.” The Saviors are a group of survivors who are “ruthless” and led by Negan.

Negan was introduced in Issue 100 of “The Walking Dead.” His group was strong, dangerous and mean, zombie-killing machines. They also happened to terrorize other survivors, even killing some. In the comics, The Saviors were part of a giant community called the Hilltop Colony. They decided to break free from the Hilltop Colony and form their own base but in doing so they also demanded half of the rations and supplies.

Negan and Rick’s group finally come face-to-face in the graphic novels when the survivors seek shelter at the Alexandria Safe Zone. Since the trailers for Season 5 tease that Rick and the Terminus residents might be teaming up to bring Dr. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt) to Washington, D.C., it’s definitely possible that they will run into Negan on the road. While fans will have to see how the new season of “The Walking Dead” plays out, it seems likely that Negan won’t be introduced until the second half of Season 5.

“The Walking Dead” Season 5 premieres on AMC on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 9 p.m. EDT. Do you think Kevin Durand would be a good Negan on “The Walking Dead”? Take the poll and tweet your thoughts to @AmandaTVScoop.