Lucille bashes her way into 'Walking Dead' weapons arsenal
The Walking Dead has an imposing new addition to its ever-escalating arms race: Lucille the bat.
Wielded with impunity by villainous newcomer Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the barbed-wire-covered club has claimed Abraham and Glenn and remains a constant threat to those who don't bow to the Saviors leader.
Dead property master John Sanders offers some details about Lucille — firmly a part of Negan, Morgan says — and how she fits in with the all-stars of Dead's arsenal.
Negan and Lucille
Lucille is hardly off-the-bat-rack. While Louisville Sluggers, made of ash, maple and birch, bash home runs, Negan's custom-made 34-ounce cudgel, made of "really hard oak" from Japan, Sanders says, bashes heads. His team sands and textures the bats to make them look and feel like antiques, with knots, bumps and a round logo familiar from the comic books. There are 10 identical Lucilles, so a bloody one can be swapped out for a second take. None have broken.
Sanders also has 32 rubber bats, which are used for the actual striking, and helped design a hollowed-out model that holds a blood bag. Morgan "was very tentative about wanting to hit people," Sanders said. "He hit himself with it and learned how much pressure he could use."
Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his Colt Python
Survivor leader Rick’s signature weapon is a big, powerful handgun that he's used since his days as a Georgia sheriff's deputy. The .357 Magnum revolver is great for blowing holes in walkers’ heads.
"It's the exact same gun from Day 1 of Season 1," says Sanders, who also has rubber and plastic versions.
Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and his Stryker 380 crossbow
Daryl’s crossbow doesn’t match the firepower of Rick’s gun, but it offers other benefits. It’s quiet, an advantage when trying not to attract noise-sensitive walkers, and arrows are reusable, a big advantage in a world where ammunition is limited.
More important, Reedus likes it. When the actor was at a shooting range for gun and bow training, "He saw the Stryker 380 and he was like, 'Wow, I want this!' " Sanders says.
Daryl's crossbow is powered by a rubber band, so the rubber-tipped arrow he shoots flies only a few feet. "Digital effects do the rest," Sanders says.
Michonne (Danai Gurira) and her katana sword
Warrior Michonne displays grace and artistry as she wields her katana, a sword that traces its heritage to Japanese samurai.
Dead executive producer Robert Kirkman wanted something akin to a biohazard symbol on the sword, so Sanders and his wife came up with "the triple goddess," a trinity sign representing mind, body and soul. Sanders has four katanas on hand.
Kirkman wanted the handle to be white. To avoid staining from Dead's bloodshed, Sanders found a solution: white eelskin. "No liquid will stick to it."
Morgan Jones (Lennie James) and his Bo staff
Morgan mastered the stick during his Aikido training with Eastman in Season 6. Although he has the strength and skill to kill, the staff offers this pacifist-leaning (at least until recently) fighter the opportunity him to disarm foes without taking lives.
Morgan's Bo staff is made of Japanese cedar. There are 14 on set, along with 10 made of rubber. Different versions of the stick can be used to trip, knock people down or "stab things in the head," Sanders says.
Morgan isn't the only stick figure in Dead. Newcomer King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) has his own staff, an oak stick with a brass head and hollow center that holds a sword. "It's cool," Sanders says. "It's right from the comic."