DAYS STUNNER: DEIDRE HALL OUT!!!

Dee's Days are done as Marlena...for now.

Rumors has been swirling for weeks about the status of Deidre Hall. Her contract with the show was known to be up in August 2006 and it was that, along with Hall's character Marlena Evans Black's descent into madness, that had fans worried about her future. It appears they had reason to worry as Hall has been released from the show. Her last airdate was July 31 but rumor has it she may appear here and there in the next few weeks/months, potentially as a vision. This has sent shockwaves throughout the industry and the cast as Hall is one of Daytime's, and TV's for that matter, most recognizable characters. Hall has been with the show for 30 years with a a break in between during the late 80's. Why get rid of one of the most historic and popular characters on the show? "Deidre knew back when the new regime began in May," says executive producer Ned Yadroc. "The cast knew and we told Deidre we felt the character needed to be rested and with her contract being up it was a good opportunity. We know fans will be upset, especially since they fell Marlena should be there for the Roman fiasco and for Rex and Cassie as they are now known to be her children, but we want go in a different direction right now. We feel, in some ways, these stories will benefit from Marlena being off the canvas. John can rediscover himself if he is Roman and we can focus on the great wealth of characters we have. Marlena has been played out in alot of ways and sometimes it falls on us to make a difficult decision like this. Dee was very happy with her final months of story as it was challenging and drew a great deal from Marlena's history. All of us at the show were pleased as we made the deaths of Jennifer and Marlena huge epic events to put a finaly stamp on the island story and throw the show into a different era. This is where our new regime really takes hold as our stories are starting to take shape. There are no hard feeliing and she will miss us as we all will miss her." Could the actress return? "Of course. In fact, we know she will be back. I told Dee she would be. I have an idea when but won't say it. Does it mean she will be back as Marlena? No. She may be back as someone else. I am not saying. The fans should just enjoy the ride we have in store and wait and see. Dee will be back but Marlena is dead at this point. Could she and will see come back? I don't know but Dee will be back in some capacity. It just may not be as Marlena," says Yadroc.

In additional news, the character of Will is being recasted. Christopher Gerse is out. "Our regime never used him since we came on board in May," says Yadroc. "Nothing against Chris but he doesn't fit as will for me and I sense that from the fans. There are plans for will so we are asking for some imput from the fans on who they would like to see in this role. There is some big stuff planned so it will need to be someone capable and between 16-20 years old." Look for Will to not appear for the rest of the summer as the show won't bring Will back until casting is finished.