Fans were overjoyed when news broke that Kim Matula was returning to The Bold and the Beautiful to make a brief return as Hope Logan, but with the actress only scheduled to appear on potentially a few episodes, it has made fans wonder what will happen to Hope long term.

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After Matula opted not to renew her contract at the end of 2014, Hope suffered a miscarriage and took off to Europe-where her character has remained ever since. Now, her husband, Wyatt (Darin Brookes), after failing to convince her to come home to Los Angeles, has decided to end the charade that their marriage has become, and is filing for divorce.

While it is possible Matula's return as Hope is only so she can come back to officialy sign off on the divorce papers with Wyatt, it does make fans wonder if producers are still considering recasting the role for the future-or if Hope will disappear altogether.

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Making the matter more confusing, the producers of the soap have seemed to go back and forth with the idea of a recast-alternately saying that the role would eventually be played by someone else, only to then come out and say that no recast had yet been made.

Now, with Matula once again stepping into the role, even briefly, it could be a sign that there is in fact no longer an effort being made to recast the role. Beyond a divorce from Wyatt, there may be no true use for the character in a storyline for the time-being. Her other loves on the show, Liam (Scott Clifton) and Oliver (Zach Conroy) both moved on a long time ago, with Ivy (Ashleigh Brewer) and Aly (Ashlyn Pearce) respectively. And though her father, Deacon (Sean Kanan) is currently engaged to Wyatt's mother, Quinn (Rena Sofer), Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) has made her opposition to the potential marriage well-known-meaning Hope's own objections may not be necessary to further the story along.

There has been no official confirmation on whether a search for a new Hope is continuing.

The Bold and the Beautiful airs Monday-Friday at 1:30 p.m. on CBS.

Tags: The Bold and the Beautiful CBS Soap Operas