There will be a new face playing an old vampire in Bon Temps when True Blood returns. Nathan Parsons will slip into the role of James when the seventh and final season of True Blood kicks off this summer on HBO, E! News has confirmed.
Luke Grimes played the role in the sixth season of the HBO series, but asked to be released from his True Blood contract.
TVLine first reported Parsons' casting.
Parsons is known for play Godot on Bunheads and Ethan Lovett on General Hospital. Look for him to find himself in a love triangle. Last season of the show James was paired with Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll).
HBO announced True Blood would conclude after the seventh season of 10 episodes. The show first debuted in 2008.
"True Blood has been nothing short of a defining show for HBO," Michael Lombardo, president of HBO Programming, said in a statement when the show's end was announced. "Alan Ball took the books by Charlaine Harris, assembled a brilliant cast led by the magnificent Anna Paquin in the role of Sookie Stackhouse, and crafted a show that has taken its many devoted fans on an unforgettable journey. Alan passed the baton to Brian Buckner, who led our fantastic writers and crew in crafting a spectacular sixth season, and he will lead us through the seventh and final season of this amazing show. Together with its legions of fans, it will be hard to say goodbye to the residents of Bon Temps, but I look forward to what promises to be a fantastic final chapter of this incredible show."
Season six of the show ended with Alexander Skarsgård's vampire Eric reading in the nude atop a mountain. However, the special powers bestowed by blood wore off and he began to burn up, leaving viewers to wonder if that's the end for Eric.
True Blood returns to HBO with new episodes summer 2014.