"There's a lot of great story ahead of us," Nicotero teased to The Hollywood Reporter. He also explained why you shouldn't be so upset with Negan, because he's just following his own code. "Those are their rules of survival — just like Rick has his rules. That's a fascinating dynamic to explore, and I know we're going to get deep into that." He also says that "without a doubt, the flag has been thrown. Negan and the Saviors are a formidable force, and I don't believe our group can wiggle out of this confrontation. If you read the comics, you get a good sense of how these different worlds all have to deal with Negan's group and their plan."
While most of the actors supposedly had no information about who Negan kills in the finale, Nicotero told Entertainment Weekly that he did let Jeffrey Dean Morgan in on some secrets. "Most of the direction that I gave him was in regards to aspects of season seven and which relationships Negan is going to have in season seven and with which characters," he said. "I wanted to make sure that were certain themes that he hit strongly."
Additionally he disclosed a key character trait about Negan: "Negan is that kind of guy," he said of the long speech Negan delivers before killing someone with his bat. "He's the kind of guy who imagines himself on stage at a high school production and he loves every second of it. So, I don't really see a lot of quiet contemplative moments with Negan. I feel like with Negan it's really going to be about him gesticulating and him sort of relishing in the sound of his own voice while he commands the stage in front of whoever's alive."
