Nina Dobrev may not be needed in "The Vampire Diaries" anymore.
"TVD" executive producer Caroline Dries revealed how The CW drama show is moving on without Elena Gilbert. The series closed an important chapter in its finale last May with Nina Dobrev's character being hit by an unbreakable spell to facilitate her exit from the show in real life.
"Obviously the big thing for us is we lost the main character of the show," Dries told The Hollywood Reporter. "We had the privilege of Nina gifting us with the knowledge that we'd be losing her midway through season six."
"And so, once we knew we were losing a main character, we could build the main infrastructure for a show that could exist without her. Not just Elena Gilbert, but Katherine Pierce - who had already left."
It was speculated that Nina Dobrev may reappear in "The Vampire Diaries" especially when her cast mates teased her possible return. Even Ian Somerhalder, Dobrev's ex-boyfriend, hinted that Elena Gilbert was very much during a panel at Comic-Con 2015.
"She's still there, dude," Somerhalder said. "She's in a casket; she's having a nap."
However, the 26-year-old actress has reportedly declined the chance to reprise her role as Elena Gilbert in "TVD." Dobrev claimed to have left the show because she wanted to focus on her movie career.
CW president Mark Pedowitz has previously revealed that they would welcome Nina back with open arms if ever she wants to return to the series. "She is welcome back any time she wants to come back," he said.
Caroline Dries has revealed that "The Vampire Diaries" season 7 will have a bleak feel to it. "Tonally, it's a little grim at first, because you got a little glimpse of that town [in the flash-forward]," she said.
"It doesn't necessarily start that way, but that vibe will be [present] in the show... My sensibility is to do things that are a little bit more fun and less really dark and daunting. But every once in a while, I think that works."
