True Blood Season 7 may not air until the summer of 2013, but showrunner Brian Buckner has already given fans an answer to the most pressing question on their minds.

"I can tell you that Alexander Skarsgard is going to be a part of the next season of True Blood. He will be a series regular," the executive producer tells TV Line in a new interview.

Eric Northman of course, was last seen going full frontal on a mountaintop in Sweden - and also going up in flames once his special faerie powers were extinguished on the True Blood Season 6 finale.

But while Buckner would not go into the details of just how Eric survives this extreme hot flash, he did hint that Pam will play a key role in rescuing her Maker.

As for why Alcide and Sookie are together? The reasoning behind the six-month time jump? The goal for Bill on Season 7? Read Buckner's full Q&A with Michael Ausiello and then vote:

What grade would you give the True Blood Season 6 finale?

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.