'Walking Dead' star hints at Merle return

Published Jun 6 2011, 11:08 BST  |  By Morgan Jeffery

The Walking Dead star Michael Rooker has hinted that his character Merle Dixon could return in season two.

The brutish Merle was last seen handcuffed to a pipe on a rooftop, but later sawed off his own hand off-screen to escape the zombie hordes.

Rooker told Fangoria: "We don't know when [he's coming back] yet. And, I'm not allowed to say."

He added: "[Merle's last appearance was] not really an ambiguous end. It's an ambiguous beginning."

Rooker also jokingly referenced the rumoured budget cuts recently mentioned by Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont.

"[The cuts are] all in my salary," he quipped. "Instead of making $5 per episode, I'm going to [make] $2!"

Darabont previously refused to rule out Rooker's return to the show, but denied that Merle will be revealed as comic villain The Governor.

"Merle will not be The Governor because... what a lame, obvious choice that would be," he said. "Whether we'll see Merle... again remains to be determined."

The second season of The Walking Dead will air on AMC in the US and on FX in the UK in late 2011.

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