The Vampire Diaries stars Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder have revealed the show’s seventh series will be darker than ever.
Series seven will be the first without actress Nina Dobrev, who played Elena Gilbert, and Paul – who plays vampire Stefan Salvatore – hinted her exit is behind the new direction.
He said: “I’m definitely ready for there to be a shift in dynamic. I think it’s cool that we’re exploring a different theme this season.
“Elena’s gone, so there’s going to be a natural shift in the show. The original triangle of Damon, Stefan and Elena is what made the show a big hit and it brought the fans – but we don’t want the fans to leave. The show needs a fresh spin, so it feels like a fortuitous opportunity to do something new.”
Ian added: “This is Mystic Falls without Elena Gilbert, so we want to go back to the storytelling of season one and season two, which was fun, sexy and volatile. We just want to go back to the human side of the show and tell some really great stories – and not compromise.”
Paul revealed the relationship between brothers Stefan and Damon (Ian) will come under strain because of their estranged mother Lily (Annie Wersching).
“This season, their mother is going to drive them apart. You know how mums can get? They have their favourite son. Stefan is the momma’s boy and I think she’s going to get inbetween them,” the 33-year-old star teased.
He explained: “There’s definitely a sense of abandonment and hurt. They are wary of her, but they also have a natural maternal pull.
“You want to assume that your mum is a great person and that she’s really going to love you. I think Stefan is going to be prone to forgiveness and naivety, as opposed to Damon. Stefan thinks his mother is redeemable, but he thinks that about everybody.
“Damon is very cynical, suspicious and wary of her. This creates an interesting and polarising effect because Damon is not as inclined to trust her.”
Paul added: “It’s going to be fun to see what happens. Stefan’s hoping his mum is a good mum, but she ends up being a psycho.”
The new series of The Vampire Diaries begins at 11pm on ITV2 tonight.
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