The original cast of True Blood won't be returning for the reboot. HBO jumped on the popularity of the vampire craze back in 2008 with their drama/mystery series True Blood. True Blood was generally well-received, with Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer leading the series for seven years. True Blood ended after seven seasons, but it was announced last December that a reboot of the hit series was in development. At this point, very little is known about the True Blood reboot except that Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is helming the series along with True Blood creator Alan Ball returning as executive producer.
When the True Blood reboot was announced, it was a surprise, to say the least. Fans weren't expecting to get a reboot, and the stars of the show were just as shocked. None of the cast members seemed to know a reboot of True Blood was happening before it was announced, including Paquin and co-star Denis O'Hare (Russell Edgington). Even the writer of the books True Blood was based on, Charlaine Harris, was left in the dark when it came to the reboot. This led some to believe that the original cast wouldn't be involved in the reboot, even though the True Blood finale left the door open for characters like Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman to return. However, it looks like the stories for these characters may permanently be over.
According to Deadline, the original True Blood actors aren't expected to return for the reboot. While discussing HBO's reboots and revivals, such as And Just Like That and In Treatment, with HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys, Deadline reports that the True Blood reboot is still in very early development and that there aren't plans in place to bring back any of the veteran cast members.
The decision not to bring back actors like Paquin and Moyer will likely be seen as another bad sign for the upcoming reboot. Many were disappointed that HBO was rebooting True Blood after only being off the air for six years. Like many popular TV shows, True Blood failed to stick the landing when it came to its final season, and the series finale proved to be a disappointment. There are still a lot of character arcs that were left unresolved in True Blood's finale, something that won't be remedied if HBO goes the route of a True Blood reboot rather than a revival.
The news that the True Blood cast won't be returning may be troubling, but there is still hope for the series. Aguirre-Sacasa proved to be a valuable asset for The CW, with the writer and producer successfully creating two shows for the Archieverse: Riverdale and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Aguirre-Sacasa could be just the right person to revamp True Blood, possibly with a younger generation of characters. Regardless of the direction HBO takes with their True Blood reboot, it is sure to get attention when it finally comes out, given the franchise's popularity.
Source: Deadline