When AMC announced that there was going to be a big crossover with The Walking Dead and its spin-off Fear the Walking Dead, many believed it would be Abraham Ford returning, as played by Michael Cudlitz before he met his ugly demise at the end of Negan's bat. The crossover didn't play out the way some fans wanted it to, with Morgan the one to jump between the two shows. Now, Cudlitz is officially returning to the set of his former show. Only this time, it will be strictly behind the camera.

Michael Cudlitz is set to direct an episode of The Walking Dead Season 9. Cudlitz spent three seasons on the show as Abraham Ford, and has a pretty good feel for the zombie epic's tone and feel. He'll be stepping behind the camera for the seventh episode in the upcoming run. Since Ford met his untimely fate in the season premiere of Season 7, the character has only become more popular in the two years since. Cudlitz has this to say at a Walker Stalker convention.

"They almost all grow after they have left the show because I think that's when people look at your character and think of you on your own, when you're no longer with the group. We start saying, 'Oh, I miss Hershel. What would Hershel do now?' Or, 'Could you imagine if Merle were around during this?' We sort of infuse the characters after they leave into situations now as opposed to seeing everyone who's there. I think they grow their own popularity after they leave because everyone always wonders what that character would do. They realize, 'Oh, Maggie's going through a lot of stuff right now, how would she process that with Glenn?' It's interesting, and you guys do that. You take it to this whole other level and we feel it on our end, so it's pretty humbling."

Since leaving The Walking Dead, Cudlitz has been cast on a new ABC show from Last Man Standing co-creator Tim Doyle. The series follows an Irish Catholic family with a working class dad, living in the 1970s. Cudlitz is playing the dad. The show will be anchored by a traditional mom figure and "eight boisterous sons who navigate changes big and small during one of America's most turbulent decades."

Michael Cudlitz has also appeared in the Kings of Con online series, and was part of The Trustee, a TV movie. While Abraham didn't show up on Fear the Walking Dead, Ford was referenced on the show. As it turns out, Cudlitz's character had crossed paths with Maggie Grace's Althea at one point.

Cudlitz is the first Walking Dead cast member, current or otherwise, to direct an episode of The Walking Dead. Colman Domingo, who plays Victor Strand on Fear the Walking Dead, directed the upcoming twelfth episode of his spinoff show. This report initialed at ComicBook.com.