New True Blood Season 7 photos released but main character missing

Season 7 of True Blood premieres Sunday, June 22 on HBO and fans are awaiting the final 10 episodes of the series. Some new photos from the final season have surfaced, but a main character is missing from all the action in Bon Temps.

TVLine posted a batch of nine photos that show many of the major players, but Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard) is nowhere to be seen. The actor will return for Season 7, but the details of his returns are unclear.

In other True Blood news, the following comes from the "Spoiler Chat" column at E! Online:

"Brandon T.: Any scoop on True Blood's final season?
Expect to see a major Tara-centric flashback in one of the final episodes of the season, one that will give us a look at her troubled childhood. In the trip down memory lane, viewers will see Joe, Tara's scary, abusive drunk of a father, as well as a young Sookie and Lafayette."

And the "Ask Ausiello" column at TVLine reports some news about a new main villain for Season 7:

"Question: Do you know if we're going to meet any of the beloved but sadly departed characters of the past on True Blood's final season? If not, do you have any other scoops? -Kenn
Ausiello: No word yet on any Nights of the Living Dead, but I can tell you that we're getting what sounds like a new Big Bad in Mr. Gus. Though he's a Japanese businessman, he's apparently been so Americanized that he'd make J.R. Ewing seem Asian. (By which we mean he rocks a 10-gallon hat and speaks with a drawl.) Oh, and thanks to a business back-stab, he's got a thirst for vengeance that's described as 'infinite.' So, while he'll appear to be middle-aged, I have a hunch he's immortal."

What do you make of Eric's absence from the photos? Let us know in the comments below.