Emma McIntyre/WireImage Austin Butler
Austin Butler has broken his silence about any potential future appearances Zoey 101 film project, which he says he was not informed about.
The upcoming Paramount + movie, Zoey 102was announced back in January, when star Jamie Lynn Spears revealed to PEOPLE that she would be reuniting with former castmates Erin Sanders, Sean Flynn, Matthew Underwood, Christopher Massey, Abby Wilde and Jack Salvatore as he reprises the titular role of Zoey Brooks from the original Nickelodeon series.
Nickelodeon/Everett
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And while fans are anticipating the movie and wondering if Butler will return to one of his early TV roles from the ’00s, it’s unlikely.
“I haven’t heard anything about that, I don’t know,” Butler said Various Awards Circuit podcast, adding, “I’m so grateful for all the stepping stones I’ve had throughout my career.”
“Zoey 101 It’s a big change for me because it’s the first time I’ve been a series regular on a show for me to be a part of an entire season. I remember I got my first line in a TV show and that was huge for me,” he recalls.
“You have all the different moments that matter…But now I go with whatever story I have or whatever director or actor I want to work with.”
RELATED: Jamie Lynn Spears Is Teasing Zoey 101 Cast Reunion: “Are you ready?”
In the original Nickelodeon series, which ran from 2005 to 2008, Butler played the recurring character James Garrett – Zoey’s love interest who appeared in the show’s fourth season.
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Zoey 102 – which looks like it will be without Butler – will be streaming on Paramount+ later in the year, as the students of Pacific Coast Academy reunite for a full episode.
“I am so excited to be back with my PCA family and continue the story of Zoey and all the characters that fans know and love,” Spears told PEOPLE. “As an executive producer, it’s an exciting opportunity to work with such incredible talent as well as Paramount+ and Nickelodeon.”
Besides Butler, also missing from the announced returners are Victoria Justice and Alexa Nikolas, the latter of whom spoke out against Nickelodeon, saying the network did not protect her as a child actor.
Spears previously teased a possible reunion with her Nickelodeon castmates on Twitter in October 2020, also writing on Instagram, “Are you ready?“Before that, he reunited with the cast of Zoey 101 during a That’s all July 2020 sketch.
Several Zoey 101 The cast members also reunited for one night in July 2019 when Massey, Flynn, Underwood, Justice and Paul Butcher shared moments from their reunion on social media.
“Hello Jamie Lynn, we miss you, we wish you were here, and we hope to see you soon,” the group chanted during the outing, followed by a collective belting of Zoey 101 theme song.
