‘Vampire Diaries’ Canceled: Nina Dobrev Returning As Elena?

The Vampire Diaries is officially ending. The show will end its run after the upcoming Season 8, and the cast seems to be just fine with it. However, fans are wondering if Nina Dobrev will return as the show’s central character, Elena Gilbert, for the final season.

According to Celeb Dirty Laundry, the news that Season 8 of The Vampire Diaries is going to be the last was dropped over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Showrunner Julie Plec made the announcement to fans during the show’s panel.

“This is going to be the final season…it’s bittersweet and emotional and we are going to be crying about this in a few minutes. And you guys stuck with us.”

The news immediately sparked questions about whether or not Nina Dobrev would return as Elena Gilbert. Julie Plec has made no secret that Nina told her she would return to finish out the character’s story, and it seems Julie is banking on that.

“Not to put too much pressure on anything Nina Dobrev, but a promise was made. An emotional promise that I’d like to see come to life. You heard it here…there’s been friendship promises made, and now we’ll see if we can deliver on them.”

However, Nina Dobrev’s former relationship with her Vampire Diaries co-star Ian Somerhalder may cause problems for her return.

Rumors have been flying for years that Nina and Ian can’t seem to get along due to Somerhalder’s wife, Nikki Reed. Reports that Dobrev actually quit the show because of Reed’s constant interference on set ran wild and continue to be the cause for gossip to this day.

However, it’s all about the show and the fans for Julie Plec, and if she wants Nina Dobrev back, she’ll likely go after her hard, regardless how Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed feel about it. The fans want to see Damon and Elena living happily ever after at the show’s end.

Meanwhile, The Vampire Diaries Season 8 will be all about the new big bad in town, which is being called “evil herself.” Damon and Enzo were seen doing evil’s bidding at the end of Season 7, and it appears that fans are in for a wild ride when the new season starts on the CW in October.

Another big event that fans want to see happen in the final season is Stefan and Caroline’s wedding. Loyal Vampire Diaries viewers even took to Twitter to start a hashtag hoping that the two characters, who reunited in Season 7, will tie the knot.

There will also be a huge inner conflict for Bonnie, who has lost her magic. With her boyfriend Enzo and her best friend Damon being controlled by an evil entity, Bonnie can’t rely on her magic to help the group out of the jam. Will Bonnie finally regain full use of her magic in Season 8 and save the day as she has so many times in the past?

The final piece of the puzzle is Alaric and his twin daughters, who believe Caroline to be their mother. Will Alaric finally find the love he’s been striving for and a suitable step-mother for his two girls?

It seems that The Vampire Diaries Season 8 could be one of the best of the series, but if Nina Dobrev doesn’t return as Elena Gilbert, many fans will consider the finale disappointing and will likely feel like they’ve been left with unfinished business after investing eight years in the vampire series.

What are your thoughts on The Vampire Diaries ending after Season 8? Do you think Nina Dobrev will return as Elena Gilbert for the finale?

[Image via the CW]