The Walking Dead Casts Jesus, But No Word Yet on Negan

With the latest season of the hit zombie drama The Walking Dead due to start next month, a new piece of casting has been confirmed. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that British actor Tom Payne will play Jesus, one of the key characters in Robert Kirkman's comic book.

Jesus is the nickname for Paul Monroe, and he has been a regular member of the comic's ensemble since issue 91, in November 2011. The character is currently a resident of the Alexandria Safe-Zone, the fortified town that the group in the TV show have set up home in.

The comic version of Monroe played a big part in the battle against the villainous Negan and his men, known as the Saviors. This has led to some speculation that Negan might be introduced to the show in the near future, something that fans have been anticipating for some time.

In February this year, Walking Dead showrunner Scott M. Gimple told the The Hollywood Reporter that it would be "challenging" to introduce Negan to the current storyline of the show.

"It's such a story turn in the comic," he said. "There's a particular story in that arc that I'm very excited for. But because we know where we're going, we have some opportunities to play around with it and put some things in that will lead up to [Negan's appearence] in different ways."

The Walking Dead Season Six will premiere on AMC on October 11, 2015.