‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 7 spoilers: Ian Somerhalder to direct an episode in upcoming new season

Ian Somerhalder is set to direct an upcoming episode in “The Vampire Diaries” Season 7.

Somerhalder, who portrays Damon Salvatore in “The Vampire Diaries,” shared the good news through social media. He took to Instagram to let his fans know that he will be directing episode 16 of the upcoming new season. He wrote, “On my way... Prepping Episode 716 of The Vampire Diaries as a director.” Somerhalder also included a selfie which shows him sitting inside a dimly lit plane with a binder of materials in front of him.

This marks the second time that Somerhalder will act as director for the hit MTV series. He previously directed episode 16 of “The Vampire Diaries” Season 6 titled “The Downward Spiral.”

Apart from his role in “The Vampire Diaries,” the actor has been juggling several projects, one of which is his participation in the environmental documentary series, “Years of Living Dangerously.” In Somerhalder’s Instagram post, he also shared that he was on his way to shoot another episode of the multi-awarded series.

“Flying to start shooting @yearsofliving aka SEASON 2 OF YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY. So surreal... My goal in life is to build not only awareness but ACTION to teach the next generation to be the healthiest, compassionate, smart and green generation the world has ever seen... Peace,” he stated on the social media site.

Meanwhile, the midseason winter premiere of “The Vampire Diaires” Season 7 will have Somerhalder’s character Damon fighting for his life during the Civil War. The journey is part of Damon’s personal hell while his soul lies trapped in the Phoenix Stone. In a previous interview, showrunner Caroline Dries shared that episode 10, titled “Hell is Other People,” will show a “not-so typical Damon.”

Another exciting thing to look out for this year is the crossover between “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals.” Executive Producer Julie Plec told TV Line that for “The Vampire Diaries,” the crossover will happen in episode 14 where Stefan, played by Paul Wesley, will find himself “very much in need of a mystical safe haven.” She explained that Stefan will be pursued by magic, and one way that he can elude that is to stay in a place where magic can’t penetrate.

“And as we’ve seen on The Originals, there is a bar called The St. James Infirmary, in which no magic can permeate,” Plec stated. “So he goes to seek refuge in New Orleans and comes face-to-face with Klaus Mikaelson ... I call it the reunion of the Bourbon buddies.”

“The Vampire Diaries” Season 7 will air in the US on Jan. 29 on CW.