The 'Mixed-ish' star revealed he didn't know about the upcoming series until he read about it.
Saved by the Bell may be coming back, but Zack Morris didn't get the memo -- at least not yet.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played the blonde-haired high schooler in the popular '90s teen sitcom, revealed that he was never invited to participate in the upcoming revival series, which will return original cast members Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley as A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano. The Saved by the Bell revival will premiere on NBCUniversal's forthcoming streaming service, Peacock.
"I read it in the trades just like everybody else...," Gosselaar told Variety. "Honestly, I was never approached. I woke up to the news this morning with a kind of ‘huh’ response."
Gosselaar, who stars on ABC's Black-ish spinoff, Mixed-ish, left the door open about the possibility of reprising his iconic character, saying he's "always been interested, of course." But being that the actor is contractually bound to the Disney/ABC family (which launches its own streaming service, Disney+, in November), it may complicate matters if he were to also appear on a competing network's streaming service.
"I'm on ABC, so it doesn't really fit into that considering Disney+, so I understand the business side of things," the 45-year-old actor said. "But I had no idea it was that far along."
The Saved by the Bell revival takes place decades after the original series ended with Zack now the governor of California, who is facing backlash for closing low-income high schools. The affected students then get sent to the highest-performing schools in the state, including his alma mater, Bayside High. Considering that Zack is the catalyst for the premise of the new Saved by the Bell, it wouldn't be surprising if Gosselaar ends up making a cameo at some point.
The revival hails from 30 Rock's Tracey Wigfield, who will executive produce alongside original series creator Peter Engel and producer Franco Bario, as well as Berkley and Lopez.
Saved by the Bell originally ran from 1989 to 1993 on NBC, spawning two spinoffs, Save by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class, as well as two TV movies.
To stay up to date on breaking TV news, sign up for ET's daily newsletter.
RELATED CONTENT:
