Mischa Barton has joined the cast of Neighbors ahead of Amazon’s revival season.
The Hollywood star, 37, best known for playing Marissa Cooper on The OC, was confirmed as a guest star on the upcoming Australian soap on Tuesday.
Barton plays Reece, an American new to Erinsborough whose identity is not what it seems.
“I’m excited to be part of the next chapter of this iconic show, and I’m really looking forward to being back in Australia – a place I know and love! I think Reece’s character will be a great role for me to explore and play with,” said Barton.
Neighbors executive producer Jason Herbison said, “As Neighbors launches on Amazon Freevee in North America, we are beyond excited to have an actor of Mischa’s caliber join us for the start of this exciting new chapter.”
OC star Mischa Barton, 37, (pictured) has joined the cast of Neighbors ahead of Amazon’s revival season
‘Mischa’s character is dynamic and unpredictable and will be an instant presence in Ramsay Street. Our loyal viewers will love her, at home and abroad.’
Fans of Baffled Neighbors have since reacted to the news of Mischa’s arrival with a tweet: “OMGGG! I certainly didn’t have Mischa Barton on Neighbors on my bingo card for 2023!”
“Micha Barton on Neighbours… WTF,” wrote another.
Barton plays Reece, an American new to Erinsborough whose identity is not what it seems
The Hollywood star is best known for playing Marissa Cooper on The OC, which ran from 2003 to 2007. (Pictured is the OC LR cast: Benjamin McKenzie, Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, and Adam Brody)
Barton started her Hollywood career in blockbuster movies like The Sixth Sense and Notting Hill in 1999.
However, she found superstardom overnight in the mid-century series The O.C.
She returned to the spotlight in recent years by appearing in the first season of The Hills reboot, The Hills: New Beginnings, which has since been canceled by MTV.
Neighbors should be back on screens by the end of this year.
“I’m excited to be part of the next chapter of this iconic show, and I’m really looking forward to being back in Australia – a place I know and love! I think Reece’s character will be a great role for me to explore and play with,” said Barton
The series airs for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US and includes streaming rights to thousands of episodes from previous seasons. The series is streaming on Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
The sequel of the long-running soap opera follows the finale in 2022, which was watched by millions of adoring fans.
Georgie Stone (as Mackenzie Hargreaves) and Tim Kano (as Leo Tanaka) will also reprise their roles as series regulars after the show was axed by Australia’s Network 10 last July.
Recurring guest stars are Ian Smith (as Harold Bishop), April Rose Pengilly (as Chloe Brennan), and Melissa Bell (as Lucy Robinson).
Lauren Anderson, Head of AVOD Original Content and Programming, Amazon Studios, recently said: ‘Neighbours has been captivating its audience for nearly 40 years, building a dedicated and loyal following for the lives and stories of the Ramsay Street characters.
“With the power of streaming, we can offer a catalog of thousands of Neighbors episodes for new audiences to discover this legendary series and for current fans to relive their favorite moments.
Fans of Baffled Neighbors have since reacted to the news of Mischa’s arrival
“We look forward to immersing audiences in new Ramsay Street experiences when we relaunch the show for Amazon Freevee and Prime Video customers next year.”
However, the beloved series is reportedly unlikely to return as a daily schedule as it previously was during its impressive 37-year run.
British audiences were inundated with nostalgia during an emotional Neighbors finale that saw Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan make an epic soap comeback, joining a host of stars amid Margot Robbie and Holly Valance returning to Ramsay for the last time Street.
The Channel 5 soap first aired in 1985 and has been on screens for 37 years, but it was announced in March that the Australian series was axed after 8,903 episodes and the finale aired in March.
Pictured are Neighbors revival cast members Alan Fletcher (as Karl Kennedy), Lucinda Cowden (as Melanie Pearson), Rebekah Elmaloglou (as Terese Willis), Stefan Dennis (as Paul Robinson), and Annie Jones (as Jane Harris)