Ian Somerhalder Claims Season 8 Will Be The Last For ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ Will His Ex Nina Dobrev Return For The Series Finale?

Following months of speculation, Ian Somerhalder finally revealed that Season 8 of The Vampire Diaries will be the last. Although fans will only get to enjoy one more season, at least the Salvatore brothers will get an ending they deserve. More importantly, there is a strong chance that fans will get the reunion of a lifetime if Nina Dobrev returns during the series finale.

According to Us Magazine, Somerhalder made the series ending announcement during a talk at Walker Stalker Con over the weekend. When speaking to a packed house, Somerhalder revealed that only one more season is in the works.

“We have decided to do one last season to really do the story justice,” he shared.

Somerhalder’s announcement comes shortly after Kat Graham revealed that Season 8 would be her last. Despite her departure and the end of the series, the Bonnie Bennett actress stated that her only wish was to work with the Vampire Diaries crew on whatever she does next.

“I just hope that whatever I do after, the crew can come with me. If the crew can come with me, then we’ll be good. The crew is going to be the hardest thing to let go, because we are a family,” she explained. “But you know what, another season is a whole other year, and we’re going to blow it out.”

Meanwhile, Hollywood Life is reporting that fans will definitely see Dobrev back in action before the show reaches the end. In fact, an inside source told the outlet that Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder will reunite during the series finale, if not before.

“When the show ends Nina will be a part of it some way shape or form,” the insider revealed. “She is 10,000 percent coming back.”

Unfortunately, the source did not divulge any information about Dobrev’s return. Whatever the writers have in store, it is clear that Dobrev’s return definitely raises some questions, especially concerning Bonnie’ fate. After all, the only way Dobrev’s character can return is if Bonnie dies, which indicates that Graham’s character might not live through the end of the series.

At the same time, it hasn’t been officially confirmed that Dobrev will return in Season 8. However, according to the International Business Times, showrunner Julie Plec has stated in the past that there is more to Elena’s story that needs to be told before the series ends. Even more, Plec expressed a desire to see Dobrev make a return and left her character’s story open to revisit at a later date.

“Nina has always said that if there’s something for her to do in the series finale that she will be there to do it,” Plec shared. “When she left, she said, ‘I want to see this character to its end at the end of the show, so I can’t wait to come back and put her to bed again.'”

With all that said, it appears as though Dobrev is set for an epic reunion when The Vampire Diaries returns for its final season. The only bad part about a Somerhalder/Dobrev reunion is how it affects Bonnie’s life.

Dobrev has yet to comment on the announcement about the end of The Vampire Diaries and whether or not she is willing to make one last cameo. Considering how important her character is to the show, it would not be surprising to see Dobrev agree to a one-episode deal.

The current season of The Vampire Diaries airs Friday nights on The CW. An official premiere date for Season 8 has not been announced.

Tell us! Do you want to see Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev reunite on the final season of The Vampire Diaries? Let us know in the comments below.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]