INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘The Vampire Diaries’ Showrunner Shocked By Kat Graham Announcement

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 04:23 PST, Apr 8, 2016

The Vampire Diaries fans were not the only ones shocked by Kat Graham’s announcement that she would leave at the end of Season 8. The showrunners were not ready for it, either. In fact, Julie Plec admitted that Graham’s talk about the future was further ahead than she was thinking at the time.

For executive producer Plec, the main focus has been on The Vampire Diaries Season 8 and what to do with the story line. There are multiple options available, but she wants to make this the best season yet. As Ian Somerhalder previously said, there is now the chance to get the show back to where it was in the beginning, rather than constantly chasing big explosion after big explosion.

Plec admitted that since she received word that the vampire show had been picked up for another Season—despite expectations that it would be cancelled—she had been thinking about what to do with the show. Not once had she considered Season 9, something that Graham has hinted towards. That being said, there is no Season 9 for the show yet. The CW only renews shows for a year. Even firm favorites Arrow and The Flash have only been renewed for one more year at the moment. Anybody talking about the prospect of The Vampire Diaries Season 9 is being optimistic.

“I’ll be honest, Kat is thinking further ahead into the future than I even was. I was still wrapping my head around what the hell is in store for season eight and she’s jumping ahead to season nine.” –Julie Plec

Earlier this week, Graham made the announcement that she was ready to leave The Vampire Diaries. As the Inquisitr previously reported, she would leave at the end of Season 8, seeing out another year to allow her character to get a good send-off. It would also give the writers a chance to decide how to play this, since Bonnie’s life force is connected to Elena’s.

Graham has confirmed that right now she has no plans for the future. However, it seems Plec has no plans for the future of The Vampire Diaries, either. Most of the focus has been on finishing off The Vampire Diaries Season 7, which will air its finale on May 13.

Plec has said that Bonnie’s storyline will pick up some steam during the final few episodes, according to Nerdist. Graham has previously confirmed that her most exciting scenes are in Episodes 20 and 21 of Season 7. Her current story is going to be told, so fans get to see why she has checked herself in to an institution and how her relationship with Enzo develops.

There is no current confirmation that all current actors and actresses will stay on for Season 8. Most contracts will be up for negotiation, and there are some fans who suspect that Somerhalder may call it a day. There have been rumors for months that he will step down after Season 7. However, recent interviews have suggested that he believes his character has another year, and he will stick around for Season 8.

Graham’s announcement has disappointed some The Vampire Diaries fans, especially those in the LGBT community. They had hoped to see Bonnie realize that she is bisexual and for the writers to explore that. By announcing her departure, it will be redundant to introduce that storyline, and could lead to the show to go further into the “bury your gays” trope.

The Vampire Diaries will continue to air on Fridays on the CW. Over the next few episodes, fans will learn how Bonnie and Enzo fall in love and what is really going on with their characters, including the danger of Rayna’s blood to witches.

[Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images]

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