On Wednesday (7/24), Jamie Lynn Spears — who starred in the Nickelodeon show from 2005 to 2008 — addressed rumors that the beloved show would be making a comeback.
“Yo, @nickelodeon have your people call my people🤝😉 #Zoey101,” Spears, 28, posted on Instagram and Twitter, along with screenshots of various articles questioning whether or not the show is returning.
Update (7/27) - Paul Butcher, who played Zoey's little bro Dustin, has also addressed rumors that Zoey 101 would be making a comeback!:
Nickelodeon's hit noughties series Zoey 101 could be coming back to Nickelodeon - TMZ has learnt Britney Spears' little sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, is already in talks to reprise the iconic role!
It's been 11 years since Zoey 101 wrapped up, but with so many Nick classics like All That, Are You Afraid of the Dark and Blue's Clues getting a 2nd life, TMZ are told Nickelodeon executives are now honing in on a Zoey 101 reboot.
TMZ's Nick sources tell them that Jamie Lynn has been talking with execs about the show but it's not a done deal. The site are told Jamie would reprise the iconic lead role, but with some major changes.
First, TMZ are told the premise of the show would follow Zoey's life in SoCal ten years later at the age of 28 -- only this time, she'd have a couple of kids in the mix. Unclear if she'd have a partner or not, or if she's still involved with her character's longtime love interest, Chase (Sean Flynn).
However, sources tell TMZ this would be "Zoey with an edge", whatever that means. It's interesting too -- Jamie Lynn, herself, has had a couple kids since the series ended in '08 following four seasons of Zoey's PCA adventures ... life imitating art, no doubt.
The hit Nickelodeon classic also starred Matthew Underwood as Logan Reese, Austin Butler (James Garrett), Paul Butcher (Dustin Brooks), Erin Sanders (Quinn Pensky), Victoria Justice (Lola Martinez), Christopher Massey (Michael Barret), Alexa Nikolas (Nicole Bristow), and Kristin Herrera (Dana Cruz).
As for Austin Butler, who played James on the show, producers might have a tougher time bringing him back since his movie career is exploding. He's playing Elvis in the new Baz Luhrmann biopic.
This is huge news, especially considering the fact that Jamie Lynn just signed on for the upcoming Netflix series Sweet Magnolias. As excited as folks might be about that, this would blow that return to TV out of the water ... 'cause Zoey is a fan favorite ... especially here. #BringBackZoey
Zoey 101 ran for four seasons on Nickelodeon from January 2005 until May 2008 and followed Zoey Brooks and her friends at the formally all-boys boarding school, Pacific Coast Academy (PCA). The American comedy-drama series was filmed, in part at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. Jamie Lynn sang the show’s opening theme song, “Follow Me”, which featured her sister, Britney Spears.
The news follows Jamie Lynn making a guest appearance with her daughter Maddie on Nickelodeon's revived Double Dare in Fall 2018.
Nickelodeon was also planning a revival of iconic '90s series Clarissa Explains It All, which would of seen original star Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) reprise her role as Clarissa Darling. However, plans for that revival seem to have fizzled out.
Update (7/29) - From PopCulture:
'Zoey 101' Actor Chris Massey Is Down for a Revival
Following rumors that Jamie Lynn Spears is in talks with Nickelodeon to revive Zoey 101, co-star Chris Massey said he would be interested in joining her. He also wants Austin Butler to come back, but Butler might be too busy with the Elvis Presley biopic to work on new episodes of the Nickelodeon sitcom.
Massey told TMZ he did not have any specific details on the project, but said he would be "absolutely" interested in doing it.
"I mean, I have a daughter now, so it would be kind of cool for her to see that," he said.
The 29-year-old said he has not spoken directly with Nickelodeon, but told TMZ that members of the cast have reached out to each other and are "excited" about working together. He said he was not sure of plans for a revival until he heard the reports, and that is when the cast members started contacting each other. Massey said he even spoke with Spears recently.
When asked if Butler should come back, Massey said that was up to the actor.
"He's doing big things right now and I love him to death. He gotta keep killing it, regardless," Massey said. "If he does come back, that would be fun."
Back on July 23, TMZ claimed Spears was already in talks with Nickelodeon to play Zoey Brooks 10 years after the character was last seen on screen. The series would show a 28-year-old "Zoey with an edge," living in Southern California and a parent. Spears responded to the news by tweeting to Nickelodeon, "Have your people call my people."
Zoey 101 only aired for four seasons, from 2005 to 2008, but was one of the network's biggest live-action sitcom hits of the 2000s. Spears starred as the title character, the first girl at Pacific Coast Academy. Massey starred as Michael Barret in all four seasons, while Butler appeared in Season 4 as James Garrett. Other stars on the show include Paul Butcher, Sean Flynn, Victoria Justice, Erin Sanders, and Matthew Underwood.
There were rumors that the show only lasted four seasons because of Spears' pregnancy. However, she told fans in January that the show ended because her contract was finished.
"I went home to finish high school and was going to pursue movies," Spears told one fan on Instagram before telling another fan the show would have ended even if she did not get pregnant.
If Zoey 101 is revived with Zoey now a mother, it would not be the first time a network brought back a teenage character as a mother. Disney Channel found success with Raven's Home, a series starring That's So Raven's Raven-Symone as a mother.
After Zoey 101 ended, Spears left acting to work in music and raise her family. However, this year, she signed on to star in Netflix's upcoming series Sweet Magnolias, based on the novels by Sherryl Woods about South Carolina women who have been friends since high school.
###
More Nick: Melissa Joan Hart Reveals What She Would Want to See from a 'Clarissa Explains It All' Reboot!
Originally published: Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 18:50 BST.
Additional sources: Hollywood Life, People, PopCulture, Bravo.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and Zoey 101 News and Highlights!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Have your say by leaving a comment below! NickALive! welcomes friendly and respectful comments. Please familiarize with the blog's Comment Policy before commenting. All new comments are moderated and won't appear straight away.