Riverdale To Recast Reggie Mantle Due to Ross Butler's Scheduling Conflicts

04/25/2017 06:59 pm EDT

Riverdale is about to recast the role of Reggie Mantle -- and there are 13 Reasons Why.

Actor Ross Butler, who plays the fan-favorite villain on The CW drama, can't commit to more episodes of Riverdale next season, so executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa says they're looking for a new Reggie.

"We love what Ross did with the role of Reggie [this season], but because of his commitments to other projects, we couldn't use him nearly as much as we would have liked," series creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said in a statement to TVLine. "[Next season], we want more Reggie on our show — he's Archie's rival! — and because Ross is unavailable to come back to Riverdale, we're looking for a new Reggie. Those are big shoes to fill, but we're confident we can find an actor who is as funny and sexy as Ross. And of course we all wish Ross the best."

The actor is a series regular on Netflix's 13 Reasons Why, which is likely to earn a second-season pickup from the streaming service. While the show is based on a novel that didn't have a sequel, its author has said that he toyed with the idea of writing a follow-up, and that he hoped there would be a second season for the show.

While Reggie is a major character in the comics -- and was actually significant enough to be in the theme song to The Archie Show, an animated series which ran for 17 episodes in 1968 and 1969. He is one of the possible "casualties" of the upcoming "On the Edge" storyline, in which Archie Comics has promised dire consequences for at least one Riverdale Resident.

Butler could end up being the second major player in Riverdale to leave, if ABC's Pitch is picked up and the newly-cast Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) is forced to turn down the job. He signed on yesterday but the show is in second position to his existing series, which has not yet officially been cancelled.

Riverdale airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

More Riverdale news:

• What's Next In The CW's Comic Book Shows This Week?
• Anatomy of a Murder Promo Photos Released
• Riverdale Will Reveal Jason Blossom's Killer In "Anatomy of A Murder"
• Riverdale Casts Its Hiram Lodge For Season 2

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