‘The Walking Dead’ season 4 spoilers: Who is ‘Southland’s’ Michael Cudlitz playing?

Somehow, “The Walking Dead” has managed to make another big splash when it comes to casting, and Michael Cudlitz has also achieved a rare feat: Getting to go from being an actor on a great show that few people watched (in “Southland”) to a great show with one of the biggest audiences out of anything on TV. But who is Cudlitz going to play on the show? It’s a character that has been suggested as a major addition to the show for some time: Abraham. Given the characters that were already coming to the show, it was assumed that he’d be there; and now, one of the best-kept secrets in television is finally revealed.

For fans of the series that are not familiar with this character, Abraham in the comic books was a former military man and sports coach who ended up being a key part of the human defense team against the zombies. Not only that, but he was also a very important partner for Rick. Cudlitz tells TVLine that he was so desperate to keep his casting a secret until now that he did not even go out in public much in fear of ruining the surprise:

“I was laying low because [Abraham has] a very iconic look … It would be very easy for somebody to put the pieces together if they saw me strolling around [near the show’s set.] So I was staying very close to the hotel. And I didn’t hang out with any of the other castmembers.”

While there is not any confirmation right now as to when the first appearance from Cudlitz will come up, sources suspect that it is going to be around midseason when we will first meet him. The first eight episodes are designed to get us set up somewhat for the insanity that will come in the second half of the season, as star Andrew Lincoln has already explained that there is the sort of “oh, insert curse words here in all caps” sort of moment that happens in the fall finale … something that even fans conditioned to surprises on the show will not see coming.

For now, just share your reactions to Cudlitz getting cast on the series with a comment below! Meanwhile, click here if for whatever reason you have not caught a sneak peek yet for Sunday’s premiere. We’ll have a full review of it up immediately after it airs, so be sure to come back soon for that.

Photo: AMC