‘Castle’ Spoilers: A Security Specialist Is Being Cast, Plus A Premiere Date For Season 8

There are changes coming for Castle Season 8 this fall. Not only was Beckett left with a decision to make about her future career-wise, but one character won’t be returning, which seemed to indicate what could be coming for Kate. However, new casting news suggests that it is possible this theory could be wrong.

As Castle Season 7 ended, Beckett had aced the captain’s exam, but the finale also presented her with another job opportunity. She was called in and her actions, like her partnership with Castle, questioned, but after she defended herself and pointed out what she has done on the job, she was told that they wanted her to run for the New York State Senate. While she told Castle that she’s a cop, not a politician and brought up what running would mean for their family, she hadn’t made a decision by the end of the episode.

As Zap2it suggested when reporting Penny Johnson Jerald’s exit from the show ahead of Castle Season 8, since Beckett aced the captain’s exam, that could mean that she has chosen that career path. Jerald had announced her departure with a tweet.

“To my Castle fans around the world, as of late yesterday I am surprised and saddened to learn that I will no longer be a part of the Castle family. Thank you all for your support and love. Hugs from PJJ.”

However, TVLine has now revealed that “a fractional series regular” (not in every episode), “Hayley, a quick-witted, free-spirited former LAPD cop who now works as a security specialist and is not afraid to cross lines to get things done,” is being cast for the upcoming eighth season of Castle.

Like TVLine goes on to point out, the question now becomes if Hayley’s skills are going to be used at the NYPD or for a Senate campaign – or even perhaps both. She could start off as one and move to the other. Anything is possible, especially considering that Beckett’s decision is going to determine what the season looks like. Even though Hayley is not going to appear in every episode, it is still a big enough role that it would be surprising if she’s not somehow linked to Beckett’s career path.

TVLine has also reported that there’s a new “high-strung, East Indian tech analyst” joining for Season 8, and this is a “major recurring” character, which leads to the question of what this means for how much of the season will include Tory.

Castle Season 8 will premiere Monday, September 21, at 10 p.m. on ABC.

[Image via ABC]