Nina Dobrev Officially In Talks To Return To ‘The Vampire Diaries’ — Ian Somerhalder Ready For An Onscreen Reunion?

Nina Dobrev is one step closer in returning to The Vampire Diaries.

Producers are officially discussing the details of Dobrev’s return and how her character will fit into the final season.

According to Us Magazine, Mark Pedowitz, the president of The CW, broke the news of Dobrev’s return during the Television Critics Association’s press tour in L.A.

“There are discussions going on with Nina,” Pedowitz told reporters. “We’d love to have Nina back. She was great for the CW — she was integral to The Vampire Diaries. These are discussions that go on.”

Pedowitz is hopeful that Dobrev will reprise her role as Elena Gilbert in Season 8 of The Vampire Diaries. However, if the talks fall through, he assured fans that Julie Plec has a backup plan for how to wrap up the series.

“Hopefully she’ll be back, but should it not work out, [showrunner] Julie [Plec] has planned a great series finale that will satisfy fans,” he shared.

The cast and crew confirmed that Season 8 will be the show’s final year during Comic-Con in San Diego.

The Vampire Diaries panel discussion included a farewell video that featured some scenes with Dobrev.

Dobrev departed the series after Season 6, but did return last season for a voice over during the show’s Season 7 finale.

The actress’s character was not killed off in Season 6. Instead, Plec had Elena fall into a long sleep that definitely opens the door for a future return.

Speaking of Plec, the executive producer is more than willing to welcome Dobrev on the show once again.

“I miss her deeply and would take her back in an instant if she called and said, ‘Hey, can I come back and play?'” Plec admitted.

Nina Dobrev, along with Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, have been a part of the series since its launch back in 2009.

According to E! Online, Pedowitz did not say how many episodes Dobrev might appear in. He did, however, acknowledge how important Dobrev has been to the hit series.

“I always like to have Nina. Who doesn’t like to have Nina on the show? She was a great person to have. She was a great spokesperson for The CW and for The Vampire Diaries. She made a career decision that, for her, was probably the right decision but we’d love to have her back,” he said.

“But again, if it cannot work out, Julie will take care to have a really satisfactory finale,” he added.

For now, Somerhalder has yet to address the reports of Dobrev’s return.

As fans will recall, Somerhalder and Dobrev dated for a number of years while working together on the show.

Dobrev left the series shortly after their split, which cast serious doubt on her potential return.

Of course, Somerhalder has since moved on and is currently married to Twilight star Nikki Reed.

Hopefully, their history together won’t prevent Dobrev from reaching an agreement with Plec and The CW.

At the same time, it isn’t known if Dobrev will reprise her role as Elena next season or if Plec will write a new character for her. There has been some speculation about Dobrev returning as a villain, though nothing has been officially confirmed.

Whatever happens, it’s good to know that everyone at The CW is fully on board with Dobrev’s return, which now only seems like a matter of time before it becomes a reality.

“Peter Roth and Julie and I had discussions,” Pedowitz explained on Dobrev’s return. “We collectively came to the same place.”

The final season of The Vampire Diaries is set to premiere Oct. 21 on The CW.

Tell us! Do you want to see Nina Dobrev return for the final season of The Vampire Diaries? Let us know in the comments and watch the cast say good-bye in the video below.

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

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]