ABCNathan Fillion has broken his silence about the exit of his Castle costar Stana Katic. Fillion, who is reportedly staying with the show should ABC order a ninth season, took to Twitter to share a note about his exiting costar.
"Castle has been one of the greatest joys of my creative life, and I hope the show continues on for years to come," he wrote in a note posted on Twitter. "Stana has been my partner all this time, and I thank her for creating the character of Beckett who will live on for all of us as one of the greatest police officers on television. I wish her well, and have no doubt she will succeed in everything she pursues. She will be missed."
ABC announced Katic and Tamala Jones would not be returning for season nine, should there be one. Deadline reported a shortened ninth season was in the works with Fillion on board.
"Kate Beckett has been a beloved character on our hit series Castle for the past 8 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," ABC said in a statement.
Katic and Jones have been with the show since the start.
"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," Katic said in a statement to E! News.
Katic's costars took to Twitter after they learned of her upcoming exit and revealed they only found out about her departure online.
"Who knows what ABC has in store at this point. @seamusdever & I haven't been asked back yet either… Uh oh. #NothingIsAsitSeemsAnymore," Jon Huertas said after the news broke.
Molly Quinn, Fillion's TV daughter Alexis Castle, also took to Twitter to react to the surprising departure news.
"Yesterday was a horrible day. Ya'll're right, I did work with @Stana_Katic and @tamalajones for 8 yrs. I love them. I'm heartbroken," she wrote in a series of tweets. "I have 0 control over what happens @Castle_ABC. But if we come back, I promise @NathanFillion will bring all of you a damn fine show. & @twitter is a privilege not a right. I want to share what I do with all of you, but will do so if I choose & in my own time. Do not bully."
When a fan tweeted back "it's not Castle without Beckett," Quinn responded and said, "It'll be different, way way way different, but it is #Castle. @NathanFillion IS Castle."
Castle has yet to be renewed for a ninth season and airs at 10 p.m., Mondays on ABC.