It’s looking like Nina Dobrev will be back in Mystic Falls for The Vampire Diaries’ upcoming eighth (and final) season on the CW.
Dobrev rose to stardom thanks to her turn alongside Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley as part of a teenybopper love triangle for the ages.
The lead actress, who left the hit show after six seasons when her contract expired, will likely be part of its much-anticipated conclusion.
“There are discussions going on with Nina,” CW president Mark Pedowitz said at the Television Critics Association summer press tour.
“We’d love to have Nina back,” he added, echoing the sentiments of many who were sad to see her go. “She was great for The CW.”
“She was integral for The Vampire Diaries.”
It is not a done deal, however. Here’s why:
From a writing standpoint, of course, there are many ways in which it could happen; Nina has just not yet committed to a return appearance.
If you watch The Vampire Diaries online, you know Kai put a spell on her character, Elena, rendering her unconscious until Bonnie is dead.
So she’s currently just chilling in a tomb, basically.
Her possibly-not-so-final resting place is now under the watchful eye of Tyler … someplace unknown to her star-crossed lover Damon.
Easy enough to fix that, given the open-endedness of the spell and the fact that the fair Ms. Gilbert is only asleep indefinitely, not dead.
Easy to fix, schedules permitting, that is.
Should Dobrev’s return prove impossible, producers are working on an alternate end to the saga that will be equally, organically strong.
“Hopefully she’ll be back, but should it not work out, Julie [Plec] has a great series finale [that will satisfy the fans],” Pedowitz added.
How do you think they would end it with – or without – Elena?
Will both potential endings be mapped out, story boarded and ultimately filmed as part of a special collector’s edition TVD DVD set?
That would be pretty awesome actually … albeit unlikely if Nina’s contract talks break down and she never shows up for filming. Still!
As for The Vampire Diaries ending after Season 8, Pedowitz said he, Plec and Warner Brothers Television’s Peter Roth all agreed on it.
“We collectively came to the same place,” he told the media.
“Julie really got there before either Peter or I did, which was that this was the right time to end the series, to go out in the right way.”
Do you agree that the TVD brain trust made the right call?
Does that show have more left in the tank than just one more season, or on the flip side, should it have gone off the air when Nina did?
Most importantly … will viewers even be able to handle the rekindled hotness that is Dobrev if she graces the small screen once more?
Seriously, if you’ve seen Nina Dobrev in a bikini lately, you know what we’re talking about. That alone should drive huge ratings in May.
And is The Vampire Diaries the best show in CW history?
Check out this gallery and hit the comments to discuss!
