Castle season 8: Will Kate Beckett be killed off? Showrunner teases 'cliffhanger' finale

Castle season 8 is reaching its end and fans are anxious how the ABC crime drama will do justice to Stana Katic's exit from the show. The show revolves around the crime cases solved by mystery novelist Richard Castle and his wife and NYPD detective Kate Beckett. In the current season, the couple are busy solving the case of the LokSat, a powerful drug lord.

With each episode inching towards the finale of the season, Rick and Beckett are coming close to busting the drug mafia but it seems they have to pay a very heavy price by the end of season 8. Speculations are high that Katic's NYPD detective may die during the LokSat and Caskette showdown in the finale titled Crossfire.

Co-showrunner Terence Paul has said they have thought of multiple cliffhanger endings for the finale episode before moving on to season 9.

"We have one ending, a cliff-hanger that we're excited about because we believe in Castle and we believe that ABC will hopefully, hopefully, bring us back," he told TV Line. Paul has also hinted at an ending that will put the lives of Rick and Kate "in jeopardy."

Meanwhile, co-showrunner Alexi Hawley has teased a dynamic finale that will leave all the possibilities open for the show to return in an all new form.

"There's stuff up in the air, so we are trying to leave it in a very dynamic way which leaves open the possibility that maybe the show won't come back in the same form next season — although, again, we really hope that it does," he told TV Line.

Katic's decision to leave the show after season 8 has shocked not only the show's fans but also her co-stars. Molly Quinn, who plays Alexis Castle in the show, has said she is heartbroken after the news. "Yesterday was a horrible day. I worked with Stana and Tamala for 8 yrs. I love them. I'm heartbroken."

Castle's season 8 finale will air on 16 May on ABC network.