The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and his team already know what's in store for season 5.

On Friday, Kirkman discussed how he planned to top season 4, which he describes as "the strongest of the show so far."

"I think five is going to continue that trend, " he told MTV. "I just turned in the second episode script for season five, and all the writers are hard at work on their individual episodes. We're pretty much halfway through the fifth season, script-wise."

Ideas must have been flowing because the season 5 finale has already been decided.

"We've already nailed down what our finale is and what our overall arc of the season is," Kirkman continued. "The back half of the season is taking shape very quickly, and we'll have all the scripts written by the summer."

Filming for the next season will begin in just a few weeks.

"We're always quite a bit ahead," Kirkman explained. "We'll be rolling cameras in May, so I'm very excited about that. We'll have another season of Walking Dead down. It's strange for me being on the fifth season because I feel like we just started."

As the show gets ready for its fifth year on AMC, the comic book creator, who also writes and executive produces for the series, marvels at the show's longevity.

"On some shows, on some great shows, they run for five seasons, and they're done," Kirkman shared. "...I feel like we're still very much getting started, which is the feeling I've always had on the comics. So that's definitely a strange thing to realize, that five years have passed."

Fans can also prepare themselves for Negan, who showrunner Scott M. Gimple is interested in having on the show. Could Mad Men star Jon Hamm get the role?

"He's not tall enough! That's a joke," Kirkman said. "I think Jon Hamm would be perfect. I think after Mad Men has run, Jon Hamm is going to have a Tom Hanks level film career, so I don't think he'll be coming back to television anytime soon. Although that would be cool."

Casting for Negan has not gotten very far, however, because the character may not appear in season 5.

"It's definitely on our minds and there are definitely a lot of candidates, but I wouldn't expect Negan too terribly soon, although he is definitely in the plan," Kirkman explained. "It's a 99% lock that he's going to be in the show eventually, so be on the lookout for that."

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @SH____4.

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