Alan Ball is leaving True Blood

Oh no! Word is Alan Ball is leaving True Blood!

Blastr reports

Rumors of Ball's departure from the series began circulating early Friday, and then were confirmed Friday afternoon by Forbes' Roger Friedman. Friedman cites "exhaustion" as the chief explanation for Ball's departure from the show, which he developed from Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels. But even though he's no longer planning to lead the series, Ball seems to be willing to at least hang around in some capacity.

"Ball will still be with the show, I'm told, but a new regime will guide the fates of the characters into their new season," Friedman said. "This could also very well be a money issue, as series tend to get more and more expensive as they drag on."

That seems to indicate that season four was Ball's last season as the guiding force of the show, but we don't yet know who will be stepping in to fill that void. Ball's co-executive producer Gregg Fienberg, who's been with the show since season two, is probably a good guess, but HBO hasn't said anything about any of these developments yet, so we'll just have to wait and see.

I hope they get someone good. Hell, I'll do it.

Is there a Season 5 for True Blood?

Rumors are stirring about True Blood and if there's a fifth season. Well, according to the series showrunner, Alan Ball, it is:

Ball said Thursday during HBO’s presentation at the summer Television Critics’ Association tour stop that he has inked a deal for another year on the series, effectively tipping the network’s hand that a fifth-season renewal could be imminent.

“There will be an end for me at some point but I just closed a deal to do another season,” he said. “I don’t have any desire to leave because I’m having more fun than I ever had in my life.”

Ball later told The Hollywood Reporter that his deal is exclusive to HBO, where he has a "couple pilots" in development.

True Blood is currently airing its fourth season and HBO hasn’t officially announced its renewal.
Ball told The Hollywood Reporter in June that he was negotiating for a new contract for a fifth season but was unclear what his status would be afterward.

Ball added that writers on the Anna Paquin-Stephen Moyer series were breaking stories for Season 5, including “how a vampire is made.”

Sounds interesting. I'm sure there's a fifth season. Why wouldn't it be?

source