Austin Butler Addresses 'Zoey 101' Rumors Amid 'Elvis' Awards Run

By Daniel S. Levine

Long before he shook his hips or tried to murder Brad Pitt, Austin Butler starred in hit teen comedies, including Nickelodeon's Zoey 101. Paramount+ is now developing a Zoey 101 reunion movie, but Butler said no one has called him about it. The Elvis star, 31, played James Garrett in the Jamie Lynn Spears-starring series.

"I haven't heard anything about that, I don't know," Butler told the Variety Awards Circuit podcast on Feb. 16 while continuing to use his Elvis accent. "I'm so grateful for all those stepping stones that I had throughout my career."

Butler made appearances on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Unfabulous, Drake & Josh, and Hannah Montana before he finally scored a credited role in an episode of iCarly. In 2007, he joined Zoey 101 in a one-episode role during Season 3. In Season 4, he was promoted to play James, Zoey's love interest during the final season.

"Zoey 101 was a big turning point for me cause it was the first time I was ever a series regular on a show so I got to be a part of an entire season. I remember getting my first line on a TV show and that was huge for me," Butler told Variety. "You have all these different moments that are pivotal...But now I'm just going after whatever story resonates with me or whatever director or actors I really wanna work with."

Butler continued appearing in episodes of teen comedies through 2012 and won his first main role as Sebastian Kydd in the short-lived CW series The Carrie Diaries. He also had recurring parts in Arrow and The Shannara Chronicles. His career took another big turn in 2019 when Quentin Tarantino cast him as Manson family member Tex Watson in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Then, Baz Luhrmann cast him as Elvis Presley in Elvis. The part has earned him an Oscar nomination and wins at the Golden Globes and British Academy Film Awards.

Back in January, PEOPLE reported that Spears, 31, signed on to star in a Zoey 101 Paramount+ movie tentatively titled Zoey 102. It is set to debut later this year and will also see Erin Sanders, Sean Flynn, Matthew Underwood, Christopher Massey, Abby Wilde, and Jack Salvatore returning. Their characters will reunite for a wedding. Zoey 102 is now in production in North Carolina. 

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