Summary
- Morgan starred in the fun and entertaining 2018 sci-fi movie Rampage with Dwayne Johnson.
- Rampage is a box office success with a worldwide gross of over $428 million.
- Morgan enjoys playing a different character in Rampage, separate from his notorious Negan role in The Walking Dead.
When The Walking Dead ended in 2022, fans were eager to follow along with the careers of the cast, and that includes Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The actor known for playing the villain Negan Smith and the leader of the saviors starred in a fun slasher movie called Bloody Axe Wound in 2024, and he also reprised his popular Negan role in the spinoff The Walking Dead: Dead City.
Although Morgan has many TV credits including Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Wife, Robot Chicken, and Supernatural, he has also starred in a long list of compelling, fun, and entertaining movies. One of them is a sci-fi monster movie that was released in 2018, which will be an enjoyable watch for fans of Morgan’s time on The Walking Dead.
Related
The Walking Dead Fans Will Appreciate This Underrated 2014 A24 Movie
The Walking Dead fans who miss the dark and compelling post-apocalyptic story will want to see this zombie movie.
Why The Walking Dead Fans Will Love Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Movie Rampage
Jeffrey Dean Morgan starred in the 2018 sci-fi movie Rampage as agent Harvey Russell. The character is part of the “Other Government Agency,” as the movie calls it. He stars alongside Dwayne Johnson, Marley Shelton, Joe Manganiello, Naomie Harris, and Malin Akerman. Rampage is also an adaptation of the video game of the same name. While Johnson is best known for movies like Black Adam which were panned by critics and audiences, he has also starred in some fast-paced, action-packed films that could be called “popcorn movies.” Rampage is one of them.
While Davis Okoye (Johnson) is the main character in Rampage, Morgan’s character Russell also stands out. Davis is a primatologist whose connection to a gorilla named George becomes terrifying when George becomes a huge killing machine. Like his villain, Negan on The Walking Dead, Morgan’s Rampage character Russell is a strong, powerful, and intimidating character who does what he wants and takes matters into his own hands. While some might say Rampage is a forgettable and silly action movie that doesn’t measure up to some others in the genre, the talented cast makes it more intriguing than it might otherwise be.
There’s no doubt that Rampage is a corny movie about characters hunting a monster, and many might prefer rewatching the Godzilla franchise. However, Morgan’s performance makes Rampage a lot of fun to watch. Morgan is just as entertaining as he was when he portrayed Negan on The Walking Dead and it’s interesting watching his character try to figure out how to survive against this creature. Morgan has had an exciting career since The Walking Dead ended that includes starring in The Boys season 4, and anyone who hasn’t seen his 2018 sci-fi monster movie should check it out.
For the next 29 days, Rampage is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. It was also a box office success. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie had a worldwide gross of $428,128,233 against a $120 million budget. While Rampage only has a 51% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, it has a 71% rating on the Popcornmeter, which is slightly better. Fans of the various monsters in Godzilla will enjoy the guilty pleasure nature of Rampage. Fans can also rent Rampage on Apple TV or Amazon Video.
What Did Jeffrey Dean Morgan Say About Starring In Rampage?
In a 2018 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jeffrey Dean Morgan shared that he was happy to star in a movie about a scary creature. He said:
“I grew up watching like Godzilla and King Kong, so one of the reasons I became an actor was so I could do a monster movie.”
Morgan continued that he knows that audiences expect him to play a villain since he portrayed the evil Negan who often carries a scary bat on The Walking Dead for so long. He said he wanted to “do something different” but added that he realized that Negan and his Rampage character had some physical similarities. Since actors are often typecast and fans love watching them as their favorite and beloved characters, it’s interesting to hear an actor’s perspective on this. While actors want to have variety in their careers and branch out, they know that people have connected with them as one particular character. Morgan said:
“When I was watching the movie the other night, I saw a couple body movements that look kind of familiar, a little lean here and there. I was like, ‘Oh man, there could have been a little slop over there between Negan and Russell.’”
Morgan also told The Calgary Herald that audiences found Agent Russell to be mysterious and intriguing and hoped to learn more. He said that was positive feedback for an actor to get. Morgan’s great work as Russell definitely makes Rampage worth it.
More
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Is The Only Spinoff Worth Watching
The Walking Dead has led to several spinoffs, but the one starring Norman Reedus as tough but likable Daryl Dixon is arguably the most memorable.