Lea Michele is set to reprise her breakout role as Rachel Berry in the upcoming Glee reboot, with two more fan-favourites signalling that they too are getting the band back together.
It's been reported (via Variety) that Michele is returning to the part that launched her career in the new Disney+ and Hulu revival of Ryan Murphy's musical dramedy. "She's in," one source told the trade. "It's still early-ish days, but it feels good and we're happy to get the band back together," said another.
Two of Michele's former castmates have since posted messages that appear to confirm their own returns.
Heather Morris, who played cheerleader Brittany Pierce, and Chord Overstreet, who played Sam Evans, both signalled a comeback on social media, with Overstreet writing: "Reunited and it feels so good!"
Not every original face is attached just yet, though. Deadline reports that: "[Matthew] Morrison is not in talks to appear on the reboot as of yet... We understand that the actor is hopeful that he will be part of the project."
Morrison of course played glee club director Will Schuester across all six seasons.
For now, Disney has stopped short of announcing an official cast list, so none of the three returns is formally confirmed by the broadcaster. The reboot itself, however, is officially happening, with 20th Television producing for Disney+ and Hulu. Plot details and a release date have not yet been revealed.
Michele led the original Glee for six seasons on Fox between 2009 and 2015 as the fiercely ambitious Rachel, an original member of the McKinley High School glee club.
On screen, Rachel's relationship with football player Finn Hudson, played by the late Cory Monteith, ran throughout the show, while the finale saw her win a Tony, marry Jesse St James and become a surrogate for Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson.
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The original Glee ensemble was a sprawling one across its six seasons. Alongside Michele as Rachel Berry and Monteith as Finn Hudson, the best-known members of the McKinley High glee club and its wider world included Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester, Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones, Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams and Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang.
Other main cast members during its original run included Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman, Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray, the late Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez, Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce, Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans, Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson, Harry Shum Jr as Mike Chang and Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury.
The momentum follows Murphy's confirmation last month that he had finished a reboot script with his original collaborators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Murphy said he had been in touch with around 10 of the original cast members. "It's very sweet, and they all had a lot of questions, but they all were very enthusiastic about the idea," he said.
Michele, meanwhile, had already made her feelings clear. "I love Glee. I will always love Glee," she told E! News. "I love Ryan Murphy. It just holds such a special place in my heart for me. I will follow Ryan wherever he goes."
The Glee reboot is coming soon to Disney+. You can sign up to Disney+ from a34.99 a month.
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