Stana Katic Leaves Castle
They say a man’s home is his Castle, but apparently not a woman’s, as two of the female stars of the drama are leaving the show.
Stana Katic who plays Kate Beckett, one of the two main leads opposite Nathan Fillion’s Richard Castle, will be leaving the show if it is renewed for a 9th season. The reason are said to be financial, as Castle’s numbers have not been great this season and ABC are looking for ways to reduce overheads. However there are also a number of stories of clashes between Katic and Fillion on set, and Katic wanting to leave the show.
If you remember the renewal last season, the fact it took Katic a long time to sign up again, and only signing for one season now makes more sense. Trouble between the two leads would also explain some of the story decisions in season 8, which sees the couple separated more on screen.
It was also announced that Tamala Jones who plays Lanie Parish would also not be returning, again with budgets being cited as the reason. She took to Twitter to say “I just wanted to thank you all @ABCNetwork, Cast & Crew & CastleFandom.. It’s been an amazing ride! Family is what we are & I love u all!!!”
Season 8 saw a number of changes to the format, with Castle setting up a private investigations agency. This allowed the character to get involved in the crime stories without having direct access to the police precinct. Given the news of Katic now leaving, it would seem the show’s producers may have been preparing for this eventuality for some time.
Regarding the other stars of the show, Nathan Fillion is currently negotiating a new 1 year contract, with Jon Huertas & Seamus Denver (Esposito & Ryan) also likely to return. Huertas did take to Twitter, not only to say he found out about Katic and Jones leaving by reading it online, but also that neither he or Denver have been asked yet. However, that makes sense if Fillion is still in negotiations, as you can’t make the show without him.
If the show does go to a 9th season, it will likely act as a form of ‘major reset’, with a number of things changing on the show. It’s also possible it will be a shortened run of 12 episodes to ‘test the water’ and see if the changes work. The good news is that if it doesn’t go to a 9th season, the producers had the good sense to film 2 possible endings to season 8. One being a cliffhanger to lead into season 9, the other wrapping up the various story strands, meaning it doesn’t leave fans without closure.
Season 8 of Castle is currently running on Ailbi in the UK.
