Story highlights
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen played Michelle Tanner in hit ABC series "Full House"
"Fuller House" will premiere on Netflix in 2016
A revival of the beloved ABC sitcom “Full House” is moving forward without one very important member of the Tanner family.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen will not reprise the role they shared as Michelle in the upcoming Netflix series, “Fuller House,” The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
“Although Ashley and Mary-Kate will not be a part of ‘Fuller House,’ I know how much ‘Full House’ has meant to them and they are still very much considered family,” executive producer Robert L. Boyett said in a statement. “It has been exciting to see how they have built their professional careers, and I support their choice to focus on their fashion brands and various business endeavors. I appreciate their support and good wishes towards ‘Fuller House.’”
Life after the finale: 22 TV shows brought back from the dead
The new incarnation will star original cast members Candace Cameron Bure (D.J.), her on-screen younger sister, Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie) and Andrea Barber, who played her best friend, Kimmy Gibbler. John Stamos will produce and reprise his role as Uncle Jesse in a guest role. Dave Coulier will also return as Uncle Joey. Talks are underway to bring back fellow original stars Bob Saget and Lori Loughlin.
Although much of the original cast is set to return, the Olsen twins’ participation had long been in question. Days after the revival was officially announced on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in late April, they said they had not been made aware of the plan to bring the show back. However, Stamos subsequently called their claim “b—shit” in a tweet that has since been deleted.
On Friday, Stamos tweeted that he is “heartbroken” over the news and wished them the best.
Nickelodeon acquires Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen library
The entrepreneurs got their start on “Full House” when they were just nine months old. They quickly turned their fame on the show into an empire of direct-to-video movies and specials under their company, Dualstar Entertainment, which was formed in 1993. After “Full House” ended in 1995, they starred on two other short-lived TV series, “Two of a Kind” and “So Little Time.” In recent years, the Olsens have turned their attention to their two fashion lines, The Row and Elizabeth and James.
Ashley has not acted since an uncredited appearance in 2010’s “I’m Still Here,” and Mary-Kate has not acted since 2011’s “Beastly.”
Premiering on Netflix in 2016, the series finds D.J. Tanner-Fuller employed as a vet, pregnant and recently widowed, and living in San Francisco. Stephanie, now an aspiring musician, and single mother Kimmy — along with Kimmy’s feisty teenage daughter Ramona — all move in to help take care of D.J.’s two boys, the rebellious 12-year-old J.D. and neurotic 7-year-old Max, and her soon-to-arrive baby.
The multicamera comedy hails from Warner Horizon Television, Miller-Boyett Productions and Jeff Franklin Productions. “Full House” creator Jeff Franklin will return to oversee “Fuller House” alongside exec producers Boyett and Thomas L. Miller. The series originally aired on ABC from 1987 to 1995.
©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.