By Karen Moul

Fans of The Walking Dead have been waiting to see The Governor, a major character in Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel. The wait was over this week as AMC announced on Friday that The Governor will appear in season three and that David Morrisey has been cast in the role.

Morrissey is from England and has appeared in many acclaimed British television series. He is perhaps better known to American audiences for his roles in feature films such as The Reaping, The Other Boleyn Girl, Centurion, The Water Horse, Nowhere Boy and Blitz.

In the comics, The Governor is the leader of Woodbury, a small community of survivors, and plays a major role in the lives of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group. He is a seriously bad dude and Rick’s chief adversary while the gang is at Woodbury.

This news puts to rest fan speculation that Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) would turn out to be The Governor. It also raises some questions about what will happen in season three. In the comic books, Rick and his group do not proceed immediately to Woodbury after leaving Herschel’s farm; they make a stop along the way. Fans will have to watch season three to see if the series will follow Kirkman’s storyline and when The Governor will appear.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm on AMC.