The new show runners on ABC's Castle recently discussed what's ahead for season 8 and what the future of the show would be without star Stana Katic.

'Castle' Set To Go On For 'Many Years'?

New Castle show runners Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter recently spoke with TVLine about a variety of topics, including how much they have planned for season 8.

"At this point, we haven't even sat down and talked about it yet," Hawley admitted, discussing season 8. "Fundamentally, Beckett and Castle's relationship has room to have movement in it. So for me - and I can't speak for Terence - we're just excited to go in there and see what the future holds."

Will Beckett 'Pursue a New Challenge' in New Season of 'Castle'?

Ultimately, ABC "just really wants to tell good stories," according to Hawley. "And I think there's still a lot of great stories to be told."

Hawley and Winter almost inherited a big mess. Katic's future with the show had previously been up in the air after failing to sign a new contract beyond season 7. Luckily she finally signed the dotted line in early May around the same time as ABC made the official renewal for the show.

Hawley spoke a bit about what their plan would have been for season 8 without Katic as Beckett.

"There's always a Plan B," Hawley said. "But it would've been a fundamentally different show, and that would've been quite a mountain to climb."

As Hawley noted, the Beckett and Castle (Nathan Fillion) relationship has been the real heart of the show since the beginning, and having Castle go on without her would change the dynamic pretty drastically.

Castle returns for season 8 in the fall on ABC, though the network has not yet announced a specific premiere date. The show is returning to its regular Mondays at 10/9c timeslot.