For years Walking Dead fans have spoken ad nauseam about how AMC will handle Negan’s colorful language on cable television. Will he be watered down? Will he replace the f word with the s word? What about the h and c words? The possibilities seemed endless. But now, it’s looking like Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan might be able to drop f bombs like it was Pearl Harbor.
According to Entertainment Weekly’s interviews with producers, the scenes with Negan (which were confirmed for the Season 6 finale) were shot TWICE…one with f bombs and one with fewer. For more on what The Walking Dead censors will allow, we go to Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and Executive Producer Greg Nicotero:
Robert Kirkman
“I would say that there are certain words that try as I might, we are not allowed to say on AMC, and those are certain words that Negan likes to say. So those words are going to be filmed, and people are going to be able to get those words, but there are definitely some broadcast limitations that we’re going to have to deal with. We’re sorting that out now, but I will say that, worst-case scenario, the extras will be extra-special on Blu-ray. I mean, we’re trying to explore some other more interesting options, but that’s the bare minimum of what we’ll be doing.”
Greg Nicotero
(On if he shot Negan’s entrance in the season finale two ways) “That would be a very good guess. We’ve talked about that. Even back when Michael Cudlitz was cast as Abraham we were like, ‘Damn, how are we going to deal with Abraham’s dialogue?’ And I think Gimple went, ‘Yeah, Abraham’s dialogue is fine. It’s Negan that we’re going to have problems with because every other word of Negan’s is f—.’ There is a rhythm to it that even in some of the takes that we did. What I affectionately call the ‘f— takes’ have a completely different rhythm to them and a completely different feel. So while editing it, I was very careful to make sure that I preserved a lot of the performance without getting myself into trouble with the profanity.”
How would YOU handle Negan’s language if you were a producer? Let us know in the comments and check out MORE interviews over at Entertainment Weekly.
Whew. I couldn’t imagine how it would be not having Negan’s swearing.
Just bleep it out, not even bleep, just silence the middle portion on the TV show and add it back in on the BluRays. Problem solved. You can even have a little of the F—–ING. Just enough so people know what he’s saying but enough to skirt the rules. For the C-bomb and others that can’t pass… blot it out entirely and add it back later.
Hopefully there can be a safe harbor hours rebroadcast at midnight that can have the f take each week.
Agreed. Technically they can air whatever vulgarities they want from 10pm to 6am. Even more technical, since AMC is a cable network they don’t have to wait until the safe harbor hours to air obscene and vulgar content; they could do it anytime but refrain from doing so due to ratings–as do most other cable networks.
What a tease with the Glenn picture
Just noticed it too XD
Holy Crap… bat and all….
If FX can drop F***bombs on the OJ show then AMC should be able to as well with Negan!
Things have changed since we were kids….
Don’t care how much the fine would be just donate it all to a charity of some sort
1 “fuck” per 30 mins? 2? Negan?! HAHAHAHAHAA!!!!!