The cast and creator of The WB's Angel told SCI FI Wire that old friends may return and things could get darker before they get lighter as the vampire series enters its fourth season. Co-creator Joss Whedon said in an interview that he's talked with Eliza Dushku about returning as bad-girl Slayer Faith next year and that he also wants to bring back the vampire Drusilla, played by Juliet Landau if her schedule allows. And in a major spoiler for the upcoming season, Whedon hinted that viewers can expect to see the return of Angelus, the evil version of Angel (David Boreanaz).

"Juliet Landau, is somebody else that I think we're probably going to try to woo back again this year," Whedon said at The WB's fall preview. "But again, nothing is set. We never know exactly where these people are at. We have to hunt them down. I've actually spoken with Eliza. ... It's really the question of, will they have the schedule? And this year it may work out. I really hope it does. Because she's such an extraordinary presence."

Regular cast members Andy Hallett (Lorne) and Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) return, joined by new cast member Vincent Kartheiser (Connor). Cordelia, who ascended into a higher plane of existence, will come back to Earth. "That's a mystery that I must not answer, only to say that she will," Whedon said.

Co-star Alexis Denisof, whose character, Wesley, flirted with the dark side at the end of last season, told SCI FI Wire that Wesley will find himself on an even darker journey this year. "That was the beginning of Wesley kind of finding other colors and other dynamics, and that carried on through the end of the season, and now this year we're really going to take that and go with it and twist it even tighter, that knot," Denisof said in an interview. "So he will be light, but he will also be dark. And it will be a good counterpoint to what's going on with Angel. ... They will reflect each other in their journeys a little bit, through light and dark. ... Pretty dark. Yeah, they've got some crazy ideas. The first show is just nuts. It's just so exciting. There are so many twists and turns, and every scene you think you know what's going to happen, and it's just like, bam! You get the uppercut."

Even the lovable character of Fred, played by Amy Acker, may find her life getting complicated, Acker told SCI FI Wire. "It seems like that Gunn [J. August Richards] and I are still pretty happy. ... But Joss always says that happy couples are boring. So ... we've been happy for kind of a long time, so I'm guessing something bad is going to happen to him. But I don't know. They really keep us in the dark, because I guess they know that we're going to tell everyone." Angel airs in its new timeslot, Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, in the fall.