'True Blood' On Verge Of 5th Season Pickup After Creator Alan Ball Signs New Deal

UPDATE: I've leaned that Alan Ball's new deal with HBO is actually multi-year. But under it, he has committed to be a full-time executive producer/showrunner on True Blood for only one more season. He is expected to reevaluate his future on the show at the end of Season 5 when he may take a backseat on the show while focusing on developing new projects for HBO or decide to continue on True Blood full-time. PREVIOUS: Big news at the opening of the True Blood panel at TCA- series creator/executive producer Alan Ball said he has just closed a deal to do another season of the HBO series, effectively sealing the 5th season renewal of the hit vampire drama. Ball disclosed the fact that he has re-signed in response to a request to address speculation that Season 4 could be his last. "I have no desire to leave," he said. "Doing the show is more fun than anything else I've ever done." He later said that he and the show's writers are already breaking stories for Season 5 and one of them is to "see how one of the vampires was made."