‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 7 Inspired By ‘Game Of Thrones’

Julie Plec confirmed that the seventh season of The Vampire Diaries has been inspired by Game of Thrones. That could mean a mixture of things, but definitely suggests that there will be a lot more blood and gore. Nudity is not really an option, considering the air time of the program and the channel it is broadcast on. It could also mean that nobody is safe.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Plec explained that losing Nina Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert was a lot like losing Sean Bean’s Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. Many who had not read the books wondered how that show could continue without him, just like many The Vampire Diaries fans have wondered how it will continue without Elena.

“I always look back at Game of Thrones. At first I said well, ‘How could there be a show without Ned Stark?’ And then by season 2 I was like, ‘Ned who?’ And then after the Red Wedding I was like, ‘How could there be a show without the Starks?’

–Julie Plec

The good news is that Elena is not dead. She is just in a deep slumber until the time that Bonnie dies. However, it has not stopped a gap being created. She was linked to every other character in the show in some way, especially Damon Salvatore.

Plec says that after Ned, she moved onto the other characters. After the infamous Red Wedding, she was forced to look at other families since so many of the Starks had been killed. She believes that good story telling means that fans can move on after favorite characters have left, and she can manage that with The Vampire Diaries.

With the loss of Elena, other characters can now step forward. The writing can be focused on characters that were originally in the background or had second storylines, like Caroline, Bonnie, the Salvatore brothers, and even Enzo and Alaric.

As for Alaric, MTV believes that he will have the hardest time of all during season seven. Kai not only killed his unborn children and fiancée, but on their wedding day! He also had to say goodbye to the girl who had become like an adopted daughter to him. Many have already teased that Damon will go off the rails and become more like his season one character, but very few have commented about the human-turned-original-turned-human-again.

“[Losing Elena] cleared the way a bit more for Caroline and Bonnie in small ways. They were already heroes in their own right and very much definitive story providers, Caroline playing the bossy hero, and Bonnie’s always playing the rescuer. So their roles are allowed more room to breathe.”

–Julie Plec

Ian Somerhalder was recently questioned about his character and what is in store for season seven. The question of a new soulmate was raised, but he says that it is “far down the road.” However, his character seems to have Elena’s permission to have fun, in the same way he did when he waited for Katherine Pierce for 150 years.

There are certainly more twists expected this season. New characters are making appearances, including the first same-sex couple. The question now is whether The Vampire Diaries will have any of the iconic Game of Thrones twists.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]