Director Paul Wesley

The Vampire Diaries Cast Welcomes Director Paul Wesley — “I’m Going to F— With Him So Bad”

After a snowstorm shut down production on The Vampire Diaries set in Atlanta, the cameras are finally rolling for Season 5, Episode 18 — and withPaul Wesley at the helm, we know this episode is going to be epic. But how are Paul’s TVD co-stars reacting to his first day in the director’s chair?

Michael Trevino is itching to pull a prank on the actor-turned-director. “I’m gonna f— with him so bad,”Michael told the crowd at the aTV Festival panel discussion on February 8. “I can’t wait! I can’t wait for his first note. I’ll be like, ‘What’d you say?’”

Executive producer Julie Plec offered her own advice. “I think you guys should all just show up that day as Stefan,” she said. (What does that entail, exactly? Hair gel for everyone?) “He might actually love that,” added Zach Roerig. Seeing how Ian Somerhalder is the prankster on set, he

“It’s an honor and the cast couldn’t be any more supportive, which I feel truly grateful for,” Paul told Buzzfeed. He also added that Season 5, Episode 18 feels “both nostalgic and suspenseful. It feels like our world, but something is a bit askew. It feels uneasy. And I respond to that.” We wonder if the uneasiness has anything to do with the fact Damon now thirsts for vampire blood — or that Katherine is still a passenger inside Elena’s body. And how could we forget about the new Big Bad, Markos?

With so much happening in Mystic Falls, Paul is going to need all the help he can get deciphering these storylines.

Catch the next episode of The Vampire Diaries on Thursday, 

February 27 at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.