WARNING: Although this article does not contain specific plot points from Vampire Diaries episodes, the news does indicate a possible direction for a character. Proceed with caution if you aren't a fan of Vampire Diaries spoilers!

According to a report from Deadline.com, Matt Davis -- Alaric Saltzman on The Vampire Diaries -- has been cast as the male lead in the new CW pilot, Cult. This casting would make Davis unavailable for a regular Vampire Diaries role.

Cult tells the story of Skye, a young production assistant (Jessica Lucas) working at an insanely popular television show called Cult. The show might even be a little too insane. When there are several disappearances and a possible murder that recreate crimes seen on the TV show, Skye teams up with a Matt Davis' character of Jeff, a blogger whose brother has disappeared. The two work together to investigate whether Cult's rabid fans are behind the crimes.

What does this all mean for Alaric?

Well, it can't mean anything good, unless Alaric is going to go the Jeremy route and run off to a faraway state to live a "normal" life. But that's not likely. Some horrible and at least semi-permanent form of death is a lot more likely for The Vampire Diaries. Especially when we're talking about a character like Alaric, who has already died five times over the course of the series.

The casting report does indicate that Matt Davis would be available for occasional appearances on The Vampire Diaries. Also, there is always the chance that Cult will not be picked up as a series by The CW, leaving Matt Davis free to play Alaric as much as he wants.

But it does seem the chances are low that Alaric Saltzman will remain a main character in The Vampire Diaries season 4.

Do you think Alaric is going to die? How could The Vampire Diaries set up a recurring (instead of regular) role for Matt Davis if Alaric survives? Leave your comments below!

(Image courtesy of The CW)