Ok, here goes..my theroy...
a) Kristin of E fame says that a Lost or Alias cast member is being recasted.
b)09/21 - J.J. [Abrams] hinted that rumors of Vaughn's whacking have been greatly exaggerated: "It ain't over till the fat lady sings," he teased. "You have to see what the story is. And...
Personally. I have no interest in watching "Alias' without Vartan.
The Syd/Vaughn dynamic made this show and kept me watching even after the jump the shark moment in Season 3 when it was "revealed" where Sydney had been for the last two years. That convuluted and hard to swallow bs really...