Fear The Walking Dead's Lennie James says he'll miss playing Morgan Jones
Exclusive: Lennie James has shared some insight into what's coming next in Fear The Walking Dead – and what it means for Morgan
Under the guidance of long-time showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg, Fear The Walking Dead is about to begin its victory lap season. And as the 12-episode eighth outing draws to a close, we're expecting some big revelations about the fate of these beloved characters.
Among them is Morgan Jones, who's been part of The Walking Dead universe since original show's pilot back in 2010. Ahead of Fear's final season, actor Lennie James sat down with SFX magazine to share some teases about what's to come.
You can read a snippet from our chat below, where James discusses if this is the last we'll see of Morgan. The full interview is available in the new issue of SFX magazine, which features Star Trek: Picard on the cover.
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SFX: Morgan has been through many disparate chapters. Do you feel like he’s finally reconciled with himself in this last arc?
Lennie James: Well, this is the Walking Dead universe. There is no life without struggle in this world that we’ve created. There is no happiness without pain. This final season, for me, was, "What does Morgan live for, or what does Morgan die for?" I think that is the mission for season eight. If he achieves what he set out to do – which was to take care of the people that he cared about most – where does that leave him? Does that leave him walking away? Or does that leave him in a puddle of blood on the floor, possibly about to turn? I think they’re unavoidable questions and unavoidable possibilities for this man. In season eight, we address those questions head on. And that’s what I wanted for Morgan. I wanted his finale to be an answer to those questions.
SFX: Morgan is not part of any of the spin-off shows, so how does it feel closing this career chapter?
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Lennie James: If you would have said to me at that point when [Morgan’s son] Duane hits Rick [in The Walking Dead’s first episode] that this is what’s going to happen, I certainly wouldn’t have believed you. To be at this point now with Morgan, I couldn’t have hoped for it. I couldn’t have wished for it. I couldn’t have imagined that it would have happened. I’m happy with the job done. I’m excited about moving on, but I will miss him. I will miss the people that I’ve been working with immensely. I will miss the routine and I will miss the day to day. And either in November or April of each year, there will be a moment where I’ll think, "There’s something I’m supposed to be doing…"
Fear The Walking Dead season 8 premieres on AMC and AMC Plus at 9pm on May 14. Fans in the UK will be able to tune into the final chapter the following day with a BT TV subscription.
That's just a snippet of our feature on the final season of the show, which also features some big teases about the threat of PADRE and Kim Dickens' return as Madison.
The full feature is available in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, which features Star Trek: Picard on the cover and is available on newsstands this Thursday, April 20! For even more from SFX, sign up to the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
Tara is the NYT bestselling author (or co-author) of 30 movie and TV companion books including the upcoming official history of Marvel Studios. She's also a freelance journalist with bylines at print and online publications such as: SCI FI Magazine, Total Film, SYFY Wire, Today.com, Fandom, Fandango/Movies.com, Fancast, Newsarama, Star Wars: Insider, Walking Dead Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, LOST: The Official Magazine, Alias Magazine, 24 Magazine, and VFXWorld.com. She is also the U.S. Editor for the world’s premiere sci-fi/fantasy publication, SFX Magazine. She is the host and producer for SYFY Wire’s official podcasts for USA Network’s, Colony, HISTORY's Project Blue Book official podcast, and the Lost retrospective, Through the Looking Glass co-hosted with Maureen Ryan.
- Fay WatsonDeputy Entertainment Editor