Grunberg: a hero will die

Greg Grunberg confirmed via Twitter this afternoon that someone is going to die on “Heroes,” and it’ll be big:

“Yes, one of the main characters is getting killed off for realzies!! Sad but true. Really sad. Stay tuned.”

Rumors say it’s a major male character, and no one gave the actor the heads up that he’d be out of a job. Ouch.

Kristin Dos Santos at E! reported on the upcoming death this morning, saying it’s one of the original male characters:

Sources over on NBC’s Heroes confirm to me that a major death is in the works, and this is not one that will go unnoticed by even the most casual fan.

It is huge.

So who is it?

Well, you know how these things go…We can’t come right out and name any names. (Unless someone can hook me up right quick with the Witness Protection Program?)

However, I will tell you that this leading character is a male … and he is one of the original cast.

Also today, Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello (courtesy io9) weighed in that the actor learned he was out of a job by reading his death scene in the script:

I get that there’s no easy way to lay someone off, but, come on, this is ridiculous: A male series regular on a one-hour drama — a onetime ratings powerhouse — learned that he was out of a job only after reading his character’s death scene in the script!

According to my mole, the popular and well-respected leading man — who tapes his final scenes this week — was blindsided not just by his ouster, but by the tacky way in which it was handled. “He was hurt that the producers didn’t tell him first,” says the source. “He deserved better.”

The real surprise is that, well, anyone was surprised at all. The actors on said show have long been frustrated by the lack of communication coming from the front office. Still, as the insider points out, “This was low even for them.”