'The Vampire Diaries' season 8 cast news, spoilers: Nina Dobrev in talks to appear in show's final season

Elena Gilbert could rise again in "The Vampire Diaries" season 8.

Speaking wth the press at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour on Thursday, Aug. 11, The CW president Mark Pedowitz revealed that "The Vampire Diaries" alum Nina Dobrev, who played Elena, the show's main protagonist, is in talks to return for season 8.

Dobrev left the series after its sixth season.

"There are discussions going on with Nina," Pedowitz said at the press tour.

When asked about how many episodes Dobrev will appear in, Pedowitz later told reporters that the actress could be in "as many as [co-creator] Julie [Plec] thinks she needs her for."

Pedowitz also spoke about Dobrev's work on the series, calling the actress a "great person" and a "great spokesperson" for the show and for the network. According to Pedowitz, while Dobrev made a career decision to exit the series, they would still love to have her back on "The Vampire Diaries."

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

Meanwhile, Plec recently teased the future of the Steroline relationship in an interview for Entertainment Weekly's Spoiler Room.

According to Plec, "Caroline [Candice King] is trying, in her wonderfully Caroline way, to be all things to all people."

Apart from trying her best to be a good mom, she will also have a new job at the local news station. "She's also trying to juggle a very important relationship to Stefan (Paul Wesley) against the crisis of the moment, which is that Stefan's brother is MIA," she explained. "She's multi-tasking in her own fierce, fabulous way. Lots big shifts and moves coming up for her this year."

The impending end of The CW's popular vampire teen romance/drama was announced earlier this year. According to Pedowitz, it was a decision that Plec came to and that he and Warner Bros. boss Peter Roth later agreed to.

"The Vampire Diaries" season 8 debuts on Friday, Oct. 21, on The CW.