Matthew Lillard says he landed The Walking Dead role of Negan for "10 minutes" before Jeffrey Dean Morgan accepted: "We would have had very different takes"

Jeffrey Dean Morgan quickly wrote his name into The Walking Dead legend as Negan, the maniacal, Lucille-swinging villain who very quickly made an impact upon his on-screen debut in 2016.

But it could have been very different had the show's producers opted for their backup choice while Morgan was contemplating his next career choice: Scream and Scooby-Doo actor Matthew Lillard.

Speaking on The Big Thing podcast (via The Wrap), Lillard revealed that, after multiple callbacks, he received word that he wouldn't be considered for the part of Negan.

It wasn't until a few years later during a chance meeting at San Diego Comic-Con that Lillard found out how close he was to becoming The Walking Dead's most-talked-about villain.

“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.”

Lillard explained that his take on Negan would have been markedly different to the cold, calculating figure that graced our screens for six seasons of The Walking Dead, plus multiple seasons of the Dead City spin-off.

"He’s super masculine, and I just would’ve been more wicked and funny," Lillard said. "He was super badass and masculine. We would have had very different takes."

Lillard added, "That part goes on. He becomes a legend."

For his part, Lillard has showcased plenty of the villainous chops needed for Negan throughout his career, from Scream's Stu all the way through to Daredevil: Born Again season 2 and the enigmatic Mr. Charles.

The Walking Dead, meanwhile, is carrying on across multiple spin-off series, including Daryl Dixon season 4 and Dead City season 3.

For more, check out how to watch The Walking Dead in order.