Mischa Barton joins Neighbours ahead of revival season

Mischa Barton has joined the cast of Neighbours ahead of Amazon’s revival season. 

The Hollywood star, 37, best known for portraying Marissa Cooper in The O.C., was confirmed as a guest star in the upcoming Australian soap on Tuesday. 

Barton will play Reece, an American new to Erinsborough whose identity isn’t what it seems. 

‘I’m excited to be part of this iconic show’s next chapter, and I am really looking forward to being back in Australia – a place I know and love! I think the character of Reece is going to be a great role for me to explore and play with,’ Barton said. 

Jason Herbison, Neighbours’ executive producer, said: ‘With Neighbours launching on Amazon Freevee in North America, we are beyond excited to have an actor of Mischa’s calibre join us for the beginning of this exciting new chapter.’ 

The O.C. star Mischa Barton, 37, (pictured) has joined the cast of Neighbours ahead of Amazon’s revival season

‘Mischa’s character is dynamic and unpredictable, and will have an instant presence on Ramsay Street. Our loyal viewers are going to love her, locally and abroad.’ 

Baffled Neighbours fans have meanwhile reacted to the news of Mischa’s arrival, with one Tweeting: ‘OMGGG! I definitely didn’t have Mischa Barton appearing on Neighbours on my 2023 Bingo card!’ 

Neighbours should be back on screens by the end of this year.

Barton will play Reece, an American new to Erinsborough whose identity isn’t what it seems

The series will air for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US and will include streaming rights to thousands of episodes from previous seasons. The series will stream on Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Read Related Also: Carly Lawrence Prepares For Valentine’s Day In A Little Red Dress

The continuation of the long-running soap series 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.

Returning in guest roles 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 captivated its audience for nearly 40 years, building a dedicated and loyal following for the lives and stories of the characters on Ramsay Street.

‘With the power of streaming, we’re able to offer a catalogue of thousands of Neighbours episodes for new audiences to discover this legendary series and current fans to relive their favourite moments.

‘I’m excited to be part of this iconic show’s next chapter, and I am really looking forward to being back in Australia – a place I know and love! I think the character of Reece is going to be a great role for me to explore and play with,’ Barton said

Baffled Neighbours fans have meanwhile reacted to the news of Mischa’s arrival

‘We look forward to immersing the audience in new Ramsay Street experiences when we relaunch the show next year for Amazon Freevee and Prime Video customers.’

However, the beloved series is reportedly unlikely to return as a daily program as it previously was during its impressive 37-year run.

UK audiences were flooded with nostalgia during an emotional Neighbours finale which saw Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan make an epic comeback to the soap, joining a host of stars amid Margot Robbie and Holly Valance returning to Ramsay Street for one final time.

The Channel 5 soap first aired in 1985 and has been on screens for 37 years, but in March it was announced the Australian series was being axed after 8,903 episodes with the finale airing in March.

Pictured are Neighbours 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)