‘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.

Photo credit: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage/Getty Images