"Grey's Anatomy" season 11 bade farewell to Patrick Dempsey's Dr. Derek Shepherd a.k.a. Dr. McDreamy, one of the lead stars of the show and romantic interest of lead character Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Now, ABC may have just found the right star to fill the void as a report announced they have cast Martin Henderson for season 12.
Dempsey's character was suddenly written off the show and was revealed to have died in a tragic car accident. The show then time-jumped one year while showing how the different characters, particularly Meredith Grey and her children, grieved and moved on.
It appears that fans won't have to grieve for long. According to a report from Entertainment Weekly, series creator Shonda Rhimes has cast Henderson for the next season as a surgeon working for the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
The Daily Mail says that Henderson is no stranger to playing a dreamy doctor as he already portrayed a surgeon in "Off the Map," another show executive produced by Rhimes.
The report also points out how similar Henderson is to Dempsey. The similarities between the two actors' looks might not be a coincidence either; it might have been on purpose as a means of playing on Meredith's emotions. It is possible that Henderson would be playing the new neurosurgeon who takes over Dr. Shepherd's post after his passing.
Dr. Shepherd was hit by a truck in the season 11 episode titled "How to Save a Life" after saving people caught in a roadside accident. He was brought to the hospital but none of the surgeons treated him properly despite his efforts to let them know he needed a CT scan. He was later proclaimed brain dead and his wife Meredith gave permission to take him off life support.
"Grey's Anatomy" season 12 premieres this fall.
