‘Castle’ Season 9: Stana Katic’s Beckett Replaced By Hayley As Castle’s New Love Interest After Time Jump

Fans of Castle may be in for a disappointment when the Season 8 finale airs on May 16. Multiple reports suggest that Stana Katic, who plays Kate Beckett in the hit ABC drama, may end up getting killed by Loksat. To make matters worse, Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) may end up with a new love interest come Season 9.

According to Celeb Dirty Laundry, the Castle writers came up with two versions of the Season 8 finale. One will air if the network decided to pick up the show for another season, and the other if ABC ended up cancelling the series. The outlet, however, claimed that all signs point to renewal. Even with Katic gone, it was said that Nathan Fillion is more than capable to headline the show on his own.

According to TV Line’s Michael Ausiello, he heard several things about the impending Castle Season 8 finale, adding that most of them were “less than ideal.” When asked about the series returning for another season, Ausiello said that if that were to happen, viewers can expect the premiere to kick off with a significant time jump.

CDL took this as a sign that Stana Katic’s Beckett will eventually get killed in the Season 8 finale. The publication even went as far as saying that Castle may even get a new love interest when Season 9 returns. Can he really replace Beckett that easily?

“[The time jump] would allow Beckett’s death and Castle’s mourning to pass and he might even be in a new relationship when the new season kicks off.”

According to Melty, Beckett eventually dying, perhaps in the hands of Loksat, will be the only rational explanation for her “absence” in the show. Given that they already went through a lot together, it would definitely come off as strange if they, out of the blue, decided to split up.

“It wouldn’t be realistic for Beckett to be absent from Rick’s life for a whole season, which means that the only feasible way Beckett would leave Rick is if she died.”

The outlet was also worried about how the time jump for Castle Season 9 will affect the dynamics of Caskett. Even if Beckett eventually died in the Season 8 finale, fans will be devastated if Castle will be able to move on that easily. It was even speculated that the time jump was perhaps necessary to push the Castle and Hayley (Toks Olagundoye) love story.

Perhaps another angle that Castle writers are looking into is digging deeper into the father-daughter relationship between Castle and Alexis (Molly Quinn). According to Fandom, there is a definite possibility that viewers will get to see more of Alexis come Season 9. The publication explained that some viewers already predicted that Quinn’s character will play a huge part in the coming episodes since she first appeared in the second season.

“Fans have long speculated that Molly Quinn may succeed Katic and even Fillion as the show’s star, and now that Beckett is leaving, Alexis may finally have her shot.”

Molly Quinn was recently under fire for saying that the Castle can and will definitely go on without Stana Katic, pointing out that Nathan Fillion is still the titular character.

“It’ll be different, way way way different, but it is ?#Castle ?@NathanFillion IS Castle,” she explained.

While her tweet definitely made sense, fans of Katic were quick to come to her defense. They pointed out that many would watch the ABC series not because of Fillion, but because of his dynamic with Katic. Many felt that Quinn failed to give Katic the recognition she deserved.

Do you think Castle will be renewed for another season without Stana Katic? Is introducing a new love interest for Castle really necessary? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

[Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images]