Source: LA Times HeroComplex 
As recounted by Susan Karlin of the LA Times HeroComplex, Michael Rooker attended the recent Aliens to Zombie convention in Hollywood carrying a large box of life-sized prosthetic severed hands that he planned to dole out as souvenirs.
“Thirty years honing my craft, and it’s come to this,” he joked.
Of course, all the fans of the hit AMC drama The Walking Dead know what those mementos represent. After a long absence, Rooker looks to make his return on the show this coming Sunday and we can only hope he brings the same mix of humor, bigotry, and badassness that made Merle an instant fan favorite during Season One.
“Nobody expected this level of Merle worship,” said Rooker with a laugh. “He’s such an out-there, crazy, anything goes kind of guy. There’s an uncertainty about Merle – like he’ll come back when you least expect it. He’s the boogeyman, and viewers love that suspense. The number one question I’m asked is, `When is your character coming back?’ I can’t say when, but I promise it’ll be a wild ride.
“The comic, zombie and gaming fans are a hoot – and they’re really into the plot twists,” he added. “They’re constantly throwing out these theories about Merle secretly stalking the group in the woods or luring zombies to their original camp.”
“I’ve gotten more heat from the anticipation of my coming back to the show than any other thing I’ve done,” Rooker said. “Because of that, I found a whole new group of fans, and the gaming company would never have contacted me if it wasn’t for that.”
One of those things Rooker has been able to branch out and do is voice-acting. Apparently, you'll be hearing Mr. Rooker's voice at some point during Call of Duty:Black Ops. Check out the video below.
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series developed for television by Frank Darabont and based on the ongoing comic book series, The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard. The series centers on a small group of survivors led by Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes and his family.
The series premiered on October 31, 2010, and is broadcast on the cable television channel AMC in the United States.
The first season premiered to universal acclaim and was nominated for several awards, including the Best Television Series Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards. Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes which premiered on October 16, 2011.
The pilot received 5.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched premiere episode of any AMC television series The first season finale received 6 million viewers, a series high; with 4 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic, making it the most watched basic cable series for the demographic.
In the United Kingdom, it premiered one week after it did in the United States, on November 5, 2010 on cable channel, FX. The premiere had 579,000 viewers, almost double for any other show on FX that week. The viewership dipped during the season then rose to 522,000 viewers for the final episode. The terrestrial premiere on Channel 5 on April 10, 2011, averaged 1.46 million viewers.
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