After weeks of speculation, actor Jon Bernthal has been confirmed as the lead actor in the TNT pilot L.A. Noir. If you are wondering how this will affect The Walking Dead, and you did not watch last night's Episode 2.12: Better Angels, stop reading now to avoid spoilers.

Back in January, we reported that Jon Bernthal was in talks for the lead role in L.A. Noir, which fueled speculation that the actor's character Shane Walsh would not survive Season 2 of The Walking Dead. Today it was confirmed that Jon Bernthal will play the lead in L.A. Noir, after Shane was killed off in last night's episode of The Walking Dead.

Jon Bernthal will play LAPD officer Jon Teague in L.A. Noir, who is at the heart of the police department's pursuit of L.A. gangster Mickey Cohen. We reported last month that Milo Ventimiglia signed on to play Ned Stax, a former Marine who served with Jon Teague in World War II. Ned Stax went on to become a lawyer after the war, and is being groomed as the new "fixer" for Mickey Cohen's mob.

The Walking Dead creator Frank Darabont wrote the script and will direct the pilot episode of L.A. Noir. He is also executive producing alongside Michael De Luca, Elliot Webb, and Alissa Phillips. It isn't known when production will begin on the pilot.