'The Vampire Diaries' Season 7 Update: Ian Somerhalder Leaving The Show? Nina Dobrev To Return As The New Villain As Ratings Decline?
Following Nina Dobrev's exit from the hit supernatural drama television series "The Vampire Diaries" earlier last year, there have been several rumors that claimed Ian Somerhalder would be the next member to cut ties with the show.
The speculations about Somerhalder leaving the show were fuelled after TVD has been reportedly receiving poor ratings since Dobrev's departure. Despite the decline in ratings, "The Vampire Diaries" is still airing but has already been transferred to a different time slot.
While the speculations about Somerhalder leaving the show after season 7 are pointing fingers at the show's low ratings, another rumor claimed that the actor is having issues with his TVD co-stars on set which can be one of the reasons why he wants to end his TVD journey.
According to Movie News Guide, Somerhalder and his former girlfriend Nina Dobrev were not on good terms when the actress left the show, which may be one of the reasons why the actor's relationship with the other cast is strained.
However, it seems like Somerhalder is not the only one dealing with rumors as Nina Dobrev has also been frequently speculated to return on the show. Not too long after the show's mid season break, Dobrev was again rumored to make a comeback in the new episode as a new villain.
Though it has been confirmed that a new character will be joining the show in the following episodes, it won't be played by Nina Dobrev. Reports claimed that the new villain will be played by the "Strawberry Cliff" actress Leslie-Anne Huff, who will portray the character of an evil vampire hunter named Rayna.
Now that a new interesting character will soon be joining the chaos in the town of Mystic Falls, fans are surely on the lookout about what's to come in the upcoming episodes.
"You might be asking, 'What show am I watching?' When you turn on the TV. We'll be dealing with the fallout from the winter finale for a while, both emotionally and plot-wise." TVD executive producer Caroline Dries said.
"The Vampire Diaries" season 7 returns on January 29, Friday on The CW.
