Not long after "The Vampire Diaries" has earned another season on March 11, speculations regarding Nina Dobrev's return to show immediately made noise on the web. Adding fuel to the furious fire, it is said that the 27-year-old actress is now poised to resurrect as Elena Gilbert on The CW's supernatural drama series.
The 22-episode of "The Vampire Diaries" Season 7 recently wrapped up on May 13. Despite low ratings, The CW network has renewed the supernatural drama series for an eighth season, which is slated to hit the television screen next fall.
"As we continue to further our strategy of more year-round original programming, picking up these 11 series for the 2016-17 season puts us in a great position of having proven, high-quality shows to launch in the fall, as well as midseason and summer of 2017," said The CW's President Mark Pedowitz, in a press statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Although it remains to be seen what is in the pipeline for the following season, actor Paul Wesley dished a few spoilers about the Season 8, stating that it will be going to be really dark, twisted and even more fun. He added that the risky mission they embarked on in the finale sets up the primary storyline of Season 8.
Further, lead writer Brian D. Young stated to TV Guide that there will be a major shift in the two characters' lives. Young added that the remaining characters will need to rally the troops and figure out what they have to do to get them back.
Recently, executive producer Julie Plec revealed that Dobrev will come back to the show. It was learned that the call that Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) received amid the series' seventh season finale was, in fact, a voluntary fresh recording by Dobrev.
In addition, Dobrev's returning to the show would reportedly rake the next season's viewership ratings. It was earlier reported that the seventh season displayed a significant decrease in the ratings of 26 percent, having dropped to an average audience of just 1.1 million viewers.
It is believed that many avid fans and viewers evidently lost enthusiasm after Dobrev decided to leave the show on April 2015. From that point forward, reports of a coming cancellation gradually sprung up, stating that the upcoming Season 8 will most likely be the show's last season.
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