‘General Hospital’ Cast News: Tyler Christopher Out As Nikolas Cassadine, What’s The Scoop? [Updated]


There is a bit of a shake-up on the way for General Hospital, as Tyler Christopher will be stepping away from the role of Nikolas Cassadine. At this point, the actor’s departure is being described as just temporary, and soap fans may recognize the man who will be stepping into the role.

According to Daytime Confidential, Nick Stabile will take over the role of Nikolas Cassadine from Tyler Christopher for a while. The site notes that Christopher has been going through extended contract negotiations, and he reportedly asked those behind the show to give him a bit of time off for personal reasons. At this point, those involved say that having Nick come in as the replacement will be a short-term situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4FsMu7tNOo

Nick Stabile has done quite a bit of work in the soap opera world in the past, and this is not his first gig where he was stepping into a role on a temporary basis. Many may remember when Stabile played Fox Crane on Passions for a brief bit while actor Justin Hartley took a paternity leave.

Stabile has also played Dean Hartman on Days of Our Lives and Mark Wolper on Sunset Beach, notes his IMDb page. Nick’s other previous gigs include appearing on Saints & Sinners, Half & Half, Popular, and Undressed.

As SheKnows Soaps details, this isn’t Christopher’s first time leaving General Hospital and the role of Nikolas Cassadine. He left in June 2011, but he returned again in March 2013. He had taken some other breaks along the way, and this is not the first time that another actor has been brought in to play the character.

Soap Opera Digest has gotten confirmation of Christopher’s departure from ABC. However, at this point, it is not known when Stabile will begin appearing in the role or how long he will be sticking around. Nick is said to be filming now, so the actor switch should be coming up within a few weeks. In addition, it seems that Tyler has canceled his participation in an upcoming event he was slated to do alongside his General Hospital Genie Francis, who plays Laura.

Francis tweeted out the news that Christopher would no longer be doing the event just as the news of Tyler’s temporary departure from General Hospital was emerging. In fact, the actor had been sharing tweets for that event and other GH fan events throughout the first part of May. So far, the actor has not yet referenced his break or event departure via his social media pages, nor has he tweeted anything else out in about two weeks.

Word of extended contract negotiations with Tyler comes just months after General Hospital nearly lost Rebecca Herbst over contract issues. Becky has signed a new contract to stay with the show, but even she admitted after the fact that negotiations came down to the wire, and the writers were even told to stop writing for Liz for a while.

There had been rumors swirling the past week or so that Roger Howarth might be leaving the soap in his role of Franco, but those with the sudser were quick to dismiss those rumors. Soap fans have been buzzing about gossip items hinting at departures ahead for some General Hospital cast members, but until now, Christopher’s name hadn’t really seemed to enter the fray. Will Tyler’s hiatus truly be a brief one, or could the show be looking at a more permanent recast in the months ahead?

Things are pretty intense with Nikolas and Rachel/Hayden these days on-screen with plenty more drama on the way for the duo. Will their issues be resolved before Tyler Christopher steps away for a bit or will Nick Stabile be picking up the battle with Rachel where Tyler leaves off as his break begins? General Hospital fans will be anxious for more news on this front as the situation plays out.

Update:As viewers have now seen, Nick Stabile is out now as well, as Nikolas was shot and is now presumed dead. Luckily, Tyler Christopher has been sharing some updates and while it is not yet a done deal, he has indicated that he hopes to return to the role this fall. That is great news for fans who are anxious to see more of Nikolas and love Christopher in the role. For now, however, everybody will have to hang tight and stay tuned for further details.

[Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]

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