True Blood Star Leaves Production; Role Being Recast

Steve Barton   |  

Dec 30, 2013

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“True Blood” used to be a must-see show in its early seasons, but now it’s moderately entertaining at best. Sure, that’s just my opinion, but I really couldn’t blame any of the cast members for leaving at this point. Especially over the direction of their characters.

According to TVLine, Luke Grimes, who joined the HBO hit in Season 6 as Jessica’s (Deborah Ann Woll) brooding, soulful vamp-camp lover James, has unexpectedly left the series. When reached for comment, an HBO spokesperson confirmed Grimes’ exit, saying, “The role of James is being recast due to the creative direction of the character.”

Grimes’ rep declined to comment, but a source close to the “Brothers & Sisters” alum told TVLine that the actor asked to be let out of his contract after he learned what producers had in store for James in Season 7. “He initially joined the show because he wanted to work with [his Forever co-star] Deborah Ann Woll,” said the insider, “but when he started reading the scripts for Season 7, he was disappointed to learn that they were going in a completely different direction with James.”

“True Blood” returns for its farewell season in June 2014.

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