Former The Walking Dead Star David Morrissey Would Return as the Governor

Former The Walking Dead star David Morrissey hopes to reprise his role as Philip Blake, a.k.a. the Governor, in a potential Walking Dead feature film exploring the character’s origin story detailed in creator Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonasinga’s novel series The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury and The Walking Dead: The Fall of the Governor. Morrissey’s Governor menaced ex-lover Andrea (Laurie Holden) as well as Michonne (Danai Gurira) and the group of survivors led by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in Seasons 3 and 4 of The Walking Dead, last appearing in Season 5 episode “What Happened and What’s Going On” when the killed off villain was hallucinated by a dying Tyreese (Chad Coleman).

“They’re doing movies and in some of them they might be doing origin stories, and I would love it if they were doing mine,” Morrissey told Express. “I haven’t got any inside information, I loved doing the show and loved doing the part. If they wanted me to go back, I would.”

The proposed origin story would “go back to the beginning,” before the one-eyed Governor terrorized our heroes with right-hand man Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker). Morrissey believes the novels “would make great movies.”

“If they wanted to, they could go back to before Woodbury existed and how the Governor became who he was,” he said. “I think that’s a brilliant story, and that’s all there, and it’s in the books, I hope they could do that.”

Despite his appreciation for the character and the zombie drama, Morrissey hasn’t watched since the middle of Season 7. There it was Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), introduced in the Season 6 finale, who operated as the main villain when Rick and his people were at war with the Saviors.

“I haven’t [kept up to date],” the Britannia star said. “I’m up to half way through Jeffery Dean Morgan’s first season. Not because I don’t like it, I’m watching too much I just dropped up.” Morrissey added he’s disappointed he’s unable to appear opposite Samantha Morton, whose Whisperer leader Alpha served as the main villain for Seasons 9 and 10.

“It makes me sad because I’m not in, but I’d love to see Samantha Morton,” he said. “She’s a wonderful actress.”

Scott Gimple, The Walking Dead chief content officer who served as showrunner for Season 4, previously announced plans for multiple miniseries, specials, and other shorter length series that could bring back dead characters for further exploration.

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