Andrew Lincoln praises the craziness Negan will bring to The Walking Dead

When The Walking Dead returns next Sunday, February 14th, expect some huge changes. Besides the casting of complete badass Jesus, who will be played by Tom Payne, a new baddie is about to enter Rick's world and is said to drastically change the show.

Some of you guys might have read the comics already so you'll feel right at home when Negan makes his appearance in the second half of season 6. In a recent interview with TVInsider, Andrew Lincoln, who plays as Rick, states that after Episode 9 — which acts like a chapter finish — that the show is "drastically different from the first episodes, the next seven episodes are this crazy race to a new world order".

Lincoln goes on to say how important the casting of Negan was and how he's putting pressure on Jeffrey Dean Morgan on his upcoming role. "This is probably one of the most important castings other than Rick. He's a beloved fan-favorite, but also a huge foil to Rick and his family. Everybody needs a good baddie, and this is the one that a lot of people have been waiting for for quite some time."

Fans of the show already seen the Governor storyline unfold, and as bad as he was, he is nowhere near Negan's level of crazy. "The Governor was magnificent and David did a beautiful job playing him but Negan is horrific," Lincoln says. "He is this incredible tyrant and this very charismatic, funny, brutal beyond words sociopath. I'm interested in the relationship between Negan and Carl and Carl and Rick. There's a very complicated, extraordinary psychology between those characters. I'm just thrilled that we are getting to a place where it feels very deep, dark, thrilling and dangerous."

The soon-to-be arrival of Negan will change how The Walking Dead plays out, and it sounds like you won't want to miss it. Make sure to mark your calendars as The Walking Dead returns next Sunday, February 14 at 9 PM ET on AMC.

[Comicbook.com via TVInsider]