Katherine Heigl will take a five-episode hiatus from Grey's Anatomy so that she can work on a new romantic comedy, Life as We Know It, directed by Greg Berlanti (who co-wrote the Green Lantern script). Heigl's absence will be explained on screen and will begin with November episodes, possibly coinciding with Ellen Pompeo's maternity leave. Shonda Rhimes forewarned fans this summer when she said prophetically, "Eventually, everybody is going to leave the show [...] Season 6 is about finding the longevity of the show and figuring out if there is a future for this show beyond these characters." [Entertainment Weekly]