After eight long years away -- and numerous mentions when shares of ELQ were being discussed -- Dillon Quartermaine is headed back to Port Charles.

General Hospital has hired daytime newcomer Robert Palmer Watkins to take over the role last played by Scott Clifton. With Clifton now an Emmy-winning member of the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful, in order for GH to bring back the character, the role had to be recast.

The ABC soap's head writer, Ron Carlivati, took to Twitter to announce the exciting news, tweeting, "Next week on @GeneralHospital, here comes the SON... #GH #DillonQuartermaine @Robertpwatkins"

While this will be Watkins' first soap role, the actor has previously appeared in both television and film projects. Most recently, he appeared in television series Killer Kids and Devil in the Details. On the silver screen, Watkins has wrapped roles in a handful of to-be-released projects.

Dillon, the son of Paul Hornsby and Tracy Quartermaine, was last seen on-screen in December 2007, when he left Port Charles to pursue his dream of being a director's assistant. Just last month, the character was said to be living in Japan.

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