The announcement of a Neighbours reboot came as a shock to everyone – including the cast themselves.
WATCH: Neighbours has a new home. Article continues after video.
After the supposed ‘series finale’ aired in late July 2022, it was announced this week that a series relaunch was in order.
Set to air in late 2023 on Network 10, Amazon Freevee, and Prime Video, fans were immediately curious as to which of their beloved characters will return.
It has already been confirmed that Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney, Ian Smith and Jackie Woodburne will return as their respective characters – but who else will join the line-up?
Fans have joined in on the speculation, questioning if any big names may reappear as a result of the show’s newly found international reach.
Fan favourite, Guy Pearce, addressed the upcoming reboot on The Project, exclaiming, “Of course we all thought it was over but…it ain’t!”
When asked about his character’s open-ended storyline in the 2022 finale (where Mike Young moves back to Ramsay Street), Pearce joked, “I’ve just inadvertently committed myself to another four years…I’ll call my American agent and go, ‘yeah, forget about all that other work’.”
Despite his jests, he has, since, confirmed he will appear in the new season.
Speaking on the Good Weekend Talks podcast, he said: “Annie and I called each other, ‘What do we do now because we’re living in the street?’ And she said, ‘Well I’m all right because I’m on the show anyway, but what are you going to do?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’ So we’re in the process of working it out.”
Consequently, by appearing in the (now-premature) finale, he, assumably, will have to account for his disappearance in the reboot.
“Obviously, if I’m going to extricate myself from the show, I want to do it respectfully. I wasn’t just gonna go, ‘Well, bad luck. You had your chance, that was it,’ you know. So there may be a little appearance or two, shall we say,” he continued.
Despite his busy schedule, we can’t help but wonder…what will Pearce’s cameo look like in Neighbours 2023? Pearce himself fed these suspicions, explaining that there is still much to be discovered about his beloved character.
Considering all that is yet to be known about the reboot, it is still in question whether other familiar faces will be appearing in the new series. It is likely, however, that audiences will also acquaint themselves with some new Ramsay Street residents – including Mischa Barton who will play a “dynamic and unpredictable character”.
