Finally, fans of AMC's "The Walking Dead" have official no-doubt-about-it confirmation that iconic comic book villain Negan is coming. According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("The Good Wife," "Watchmen") has been cast as the Big Bad.

Negan is synonymous with his barbed wire-wrapped bat that he lovingly named Lucille and which he uses against a fan-favorite character. Dean will make his debut as the nefarious character in the season six finale before becoming a series regular in season seven. The outlet also reports that Timothy Olyphant, Matt Dillon and Garret Dillahunt all read for the role as well.

Fans of "The Walking Dead" have been expecting Negan's arrival for some time now. It was initially believed that he could play an important role in the second half of season six, and possibly be played by "24" veteran Xander Berkeley. However, that obviously wasn't the case.

Showrunner Scott M. Gimple will return for season seven along with executive producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero and Tom Luse.

"The Walking Dead" airs Sunday at 9:00 PM ET on AMC.