It’s almost time to head back to Pacific Coast Academy or at least, kind of. Since Nickelodeon announced the Zoey 101 sequel movie, appropriately titled Zoey 102, there have been mixed reactions to the Paramount+ film, especially amid lead actress Jamie Lynn Spears’ fallout with big sister Britney. However, all of that isn’t stopping Spears from still celebrating her return as Zoey Brooks, as she and the Zoey 102 cast got together in honor of the film. Not only that, but she’s also referenced her former co-stars who aren't reprising their roles are being mentioned.
There was recently a Zoey 102 cocktail party in celebration of the upcoming film, and the cast came out in full force. Jamie Lynn Spears made sure to document the fun on her Instagram, making note that shindig was filled with old and new friends. Those who've been keeping up with the production, likely know the film's cast includes some Zoey 101 veterans as well as some fresh faces. Spears said:
New friends and old friends, missing a few, but many more good times to come with the PCA crew!! 🥰🤍⭐️ #zoey102 #pca
The star’s caption has been raising some eyebrows, especially given the way she worded it. Of course, there’s a good amount of the old cast that came back for the new movie, including Sean Flynn, Chris Massey, Matthew Underwood, and Erin Sander. Abby Wilde and Jack Salvatore, who played recurring characters on the classic show, are also in the mix. However, there were some notable PCA faces missing from the cast, like Elvis star Austin Butler, who portrayed Zoey’s boyfriend, James in the show’s fourth season. There's also the actor who played Zoey's young brother, Dustin, throughout the entire series, Paul Butcher. Perhaps the most notable (and least surprisingly absent person) is Alexa Nikolas, who played Nicole in the first two seasons.
In recent years, and even recent months, Alexa Nikolas has opened up about her time on the popular Nickelodeon series. With that, she's claimed that she was a victim of bullying on the set, allegedly at the hands of Jamie Lynn Spears. There’s no way of knowing who Spears is specifically referring to when she says “missing a few." But regardless, the actress seems to be having a good time. Also, ven though she isn't in the movie, Victoria Justice, who played Lola in Seasons 2 through 4, still showed her support by popping up and reuniting with her former on-screen roommate:
Victoria Justice previously told Variety that due to her busy schedule, she wasn’t able to fit the film in. Though the star also said that she'd had been in touch with her former castmates and would've loved to “be there with them.” Though it would've been wonderful to see Lola return in the movie, I'm glad Justice did get to rub shoulders with the rest of the gang.
Though some of the Zoey 101 cast didn’t make it in the movie, mostly by choice, Zoey 102 adds some solid new actors. Thomas Lennon, Owen Thiele, and Dean Geyer are all part of the cast and will surely create some interesting dynamics for the PCA crew. It's great to see the mix of old and new franchise stars is nostalgic, even if there are a few of the former missing.
Despite some controversy surrounding Jamie and Britney Spears, it’s clear that the former and the cast are very excited for the upcoming Zoey 102, and the same is likely true for some hardcore fans as well. The movie is set to premiere on on July 27 as part of the schedule 2023 new movie releases. In the meantime, you can stream all four seasons of Zoey 101 now with a Paramount+ subscription.
