DISNEY CHANNEL/BYRON COHEN
Billy Ray Cyrus might be ready for a Hannah Montana prequel series, but it seems like Disney isn’t.
In an interview with HollywoodLife, Cyrus said, “They’re talking about doing a prequel, which to me, I would do that in a heartbeat. Because that means I get to get my mullet back.”
“I think there’s a whole story that led up to Miley becoming Hannah Montana,” he added.
However, a source told E! News that no such Hannah Montana project is in development at Disney at this time. Anything is possible in the world of TV development, but for now Hannah Montana is staying a thing of the past. The series launched Miley Cyrus to fame. She played Miley Stewart, an average teenager by day, pop star Hannah Montana by night. Billy Ray Cyrus played her father.
The show ran for four seasons between 2006-2011 and spawned a concert movie as well as Hannah Montana: The Movie.
Everything old is new again in the world of TV. Disney Channel has Raven’s Home, the sequel series with Raven-Symoné reprising her That’s So Raven character and the network previously aired Boy Meets World sequel series Girl Meets World. Meanwhile, Disney+, the new streaming platform arm of the House of the Mouse, is home to a number of shows either serving as continuations of older series or sequels of sorts. The Proud Family is said to be making a comeback, Lizzie McGuire with Hilary Duff is in the works (despite Disney putting it on hold), Love, Simon is becoming a show and there are a number of Marvel shows in the works including The Falcon and the Winter Solider, WandaVision and Loki.
Duff’s Lizzie McGuire series is a sequel series following the title character in her 30s. It was announced when Disney+ was officially greenlit, but after producing two episodes, Disney has put the project in limbo. Original creator Terri Minsky departed the project.
“Fans have a sentimental attachment to Lizzie McGuire and high expectations for a new series. After filming two episodes, we concluded that we need to move in a different creative direction and are putting a new lens on the series,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement.
For now, Hannah Montana remains a thing of Disney past.