One of the world's longest-running soaps may be about to come to an end

From Digital Spy

"We are still here...and we are not going anywhere," said Days of Our Lives' Kristian Alfonso in a video she shared on Instagram last week, just four days after the show marked its 55th anniversary.

The actress, who plays Hope Williams Brady on the American daytime soap, was responding to rumours that it was being cancelled.

Earlier this month, it was reported by TVLine that the entire cast had been released from their contracts and the NBC soap was going on "indefinite hiatus" at the end of November.

One source did tell The Wrap that "no cast members have been released from their contracts", with some "naturally coming to an end" when production is boxed off.

But in the same article, The Wrap went on to report that three actors had confirmed they had been released from their contracts.

Those reports arrive alongside news that Sony Pictures Television, the show's distributor, and NBC, the network on which it airs, are currently in talks regarding the renewal of the series, which first aired back in 1965.

NBC hasn't made an official announcement about the show's future. Digital Spy has reached out for comment.

It's not the first time the show has faced challenges.

The New York Times reported that back in March, Corday Productions, the company who has produced the soap from day one and negotiates contracts with the actors, had filed a lawsuit against Sony.

According to the report, Corday accused Sony of embarking on "a concerted campaign to destroy the legendary daytime drama Days of Our Lives by starving it to death" in a bid to favour The Young and The Restless, a show which Sony is the sole beneficiary of.

According to The NYT, settlement negotiations have now commenced in a bid to resolve the issue.

But before you start panicking about Days of Our Lives' future, one of The Wrap's insiders added that it's entirely normal for the soap to take a holiday hiatus, and it's kicking off slightly earlier this year because of the accelerated filming schedule.

A TVLine source said the show has been shot eight months in advance, a fact Chandler Massey (Will Horton) was keen to make fans aware of on social media.

"We're not being cancelled," he tweeted. "We are pausing production because we are so far ahead of schedule (and it saves us $). Days will still air during the entire hiatus, so you won't miss anything!"

Money is a subject that has popped up on multiple occasions in discussions surrounding the soap.

One actor who refused to be named when speaking to The Wrap did say that if the show is renewed and its stars asked to return, "it could be at a sizeable pay cut".

While one TVLine source said that "all indications are that NBC would like to keep the show going", another did note that new contracts could be offered at a lesser rate, which could deter some of its key players from resuming their roles.

NBC is expected to announce whether Days of Our Lives has been renewed early next year, which means fans of the show will be left in limbo over Christmas.

But given the downward trajectory of its ratings and no mention of whether it will be part of Peacock, NBC's brand new streaming platform set to launch in April 2020, you could be forgiven for worrying.

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