‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 8 — Ian Somerhalder And Paul Wesley Set The Record Straight About Nina Dobrev’s Return

Ever since Ian Somerhalder hinted that Season 8 of The Vampire Diaries would be the last, fans have wondered if Nina Dobrev would be back for the show’s finale.

While it still isn’t clear if the upcoming season will the last year for The Vampire Diaries, Somerhalder and Paul Wesley recently chatted with Wet Paint and discussed the show’s dynamics moving forward.

During The CW Upfronts, Wesley dished on Stefan Salvatore going back to his darker ways at the end of Season 7.

“I enjoy the dynamic of the two brothers being the antithesis of one another,” Wesley shared. “I always felt like – I prefer to be the bad one – but I do think it’s nice when one of them is sort of fallen off the edge and the other one is a little more the viewpoint of the audience.”

While The Vampire Diaries heads into its summer hiatus, Wesley is set to take part in the off-broadway piece titled Cal in Camo.

For his part, Somerhalder did not offer too many spoilers about the new season. He did, however, mention that the show has “one more year to tell this story.” Does this mean Season 8 will be the final season of The Vampire Diaries?

According to Master Herald, Mark Pedowitz, the President of The CW, assured fans that the network has not decided whether or not The Vampire Diaries has reached the end.

Pedowitz added that the upcoming season might have fewer episodes than previous years. This could be a sign of an impending end, though nothing is in stone at this point.

Of course, this is not the first time The Vampire Diaries has faced cancellation rumors. After Dobrev’s departure back in Season 6, many fans thought the show would only go on for one more year.

Despite struggling in the ratings department and being moved to a new time slot, the show managed to persevere through Season 7.

That being said, Somerhalder has officially announced that Season 8 is going to be his last. Without Somerhalder’s character in the mix, it will be very difficult for the show to carry the story forward.

With the end quickly approaching, the biggest question remaining is whether or not Dobrev will have a final cameo when the series wraps for good.

To answer that question, International Business Times is reporting that creator Julie Plec has plans to bring Dobrev back for one last hurrah.

“It’s what she and I kind of agreed on when she decided to move on, and it’s what I’ve got in my head,” Plec explained to TV Line. “Obviously, things can change throughout time, if the show goes on longer, or if we all collectively decide it would be fun to bring her back earlier, and she wanted to.”

Plec added that Dobrev has moved on with her career and is unlikely to return before the end. Even still, Plec still plans on bringing Dobrev back during the series finale.

“But in my opinion, she was very clear about what she wanted the next step in her life to be, and she’s doing a great job of achieving that. So I’m sticking with my side of the plan, which is to bring her back at the very end.”

As fans will recall, Plec did not kill off Dobrev’s character at the end of Season 6. Instead, she left the character’s storyline somewhat open, providing plenty of room for a cameo down the road.

Along with Somerhalder, Kat Graham (Bonnie) has also announced that the new season will be her last.

Season 8 of The Vampire Diaries is set to air this coming fall on The CW.

TVD fans tell us what you think! Do you want to see Nina Dobrev return for one more season of The Vampire Diaries? Comments below.

[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]