ABC has not yet renewed Castle for a ninth season, but if it does, there will be a shocker. Stana Katic, who plays Captain Kate Beckett and wife to Nathan Fillion’s writer-turned-PI Rick Castle, has not been asked back, according to Deadline. And neither has Tamala Jones, who plays the NYPD medical examiner. The decision is a cost-cutting tactic.
In a statement on the situation, Katic said, “Rather than distract from what was an amazing experience I would just like to say that I’m very grateful to ABC for giving me the opportunity to be a part of a much beloved show. Thank you to the fans.”
ABC also weighed in on the matter, issuing this statement to Deadline: “Kate Beckett has been a beloved character on our hit series Castle for the past eight years. We are grateful for Stana Katic’s talent and dedication to the series and we hope to continue our relationship, Tamala Jones has also been an integral part of the series and we are grateful she was a part of Castle.”
Deadline was also able to get a statement from Jones, who told them: “I’ve had so much fun playing the wonderful and unfiltered Lanie over the past eight seasons. I will greatly miss the cast and crew – it’s been a privilege getting to work with this incredibly hard working group of people. Thank you to ABC for this opportunity and to the fans for their unwavering support. It’s been an incredible journey and I can’t wait for what lies ahead!”
Deadline also reports that Fillion has been in negotiations for an additional season of Castle, which, if renewed, most likely would have a shortened season in the neighborhood of 13 episodes, rather than 22.
As a result of the undecided future for the show, which has wrapped its eighth season of filming, two different endings were filmed.
Over the weekend, show runner Alexi Hawley told TV Line, “There’s stuff up in the air, so we are trying to leave it in a very dynamic way which leaves open the possibility that maybe the show won’t come back in the same form next season — although, again, we really hope that it does.”
Castle airs Monday nights at 10 p.m. on ABC.
View the original at Parade or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Google+