Denise Richards Poised to Join ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’

Denise Richards might just be the newest cast member of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Reports surfaced Friday that the actress is close to being cast as the newest housewife to join the series for its upcoming season on Bravo, with producers looking for a fresh face to shake things up.

“It’s not final yet, it’s very close,” a source told PEOPLE. “Everyone is really excited about the possibility of having her on board!”

Richards, 47, is a mother of three daughters: Sam, 14, Lola, 13 and Eloise, 7. Sam and Lola’s dad is Richards’ ex husband Charlie Sheen.

The Wild Things star has been rumored to be in discussions with producers for years, but “the timing was never right,” a second source told the outlet. “Denise has been wanting to join the show for a long time.”

“She’s a huge Housewives fan and watches all of the shows,” says the insider. “And she has close relationships with many of the women in real life, including Kyle Richards and Lisa Rinna. The timing was never right for her in the past, but the producers needed to shake the dynamic of the show up after a season without much conflict. She’s going to be a great fit. She’s not afraid of the drama. And she lives a glamorous, Hollywood life — which the show looks for.”

Richards is no stranger to reality television. Her show Denise Richards: It’s Complicated, ran for two seasons on E! before ending in 2009.

Another housewife expected to return for season 9? Teddi Mellencamp.

The 36-year-old accountability coach and daughter of John Cougar Mellencamp first joined the Housewives of Beverly Hills during Season 8 of the Bravo show, and soon found herself clashing with her co-stars Erika Jayne and Dorit Kemsley over everything from lunch date tardiness to “pretend amnesia.” But also became close friends with fan-favorite Lisa Vanderpump.

But despite getting drawn into drama from the start, Mellencamp has no regrets over her behavior during her freshman season.

“You know, I trusted my gut always,” she told Us Weekly at Wango Tango 2018 in June. “And maybe this past season there were moments like, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have!’ But then watching it back I’m like, ‘No, you know what? Your gut was right.’ Just follow it.”

None of the other RHOBH cast members have been confirmed for their Season 9 return at this point, but it’s fair to say that at least OG Housewives Vanderpump and Kyle Richards will be holding onto their diamonds as well.

Bravo has yet to set a premiere date for Season 9 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.