Mischa Barton Joins Cast of Australian Soap Neighbours on Freevee

The long-awaited revival of Neighbours is adding an O.C. alum to its ranks.

News broke this week that Mischa Barton had landed a guest role in Freevee's first season of the Australian soap as Reece, described as "an American new to Erinsborough who's not quite who she appears to be."

Neighbours was initially canceled in Australia after a longtime production partner decided against renewal in favor of more homegrown content.

Despite a much-publicized series finale that brought the likes of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan back after years away, Amazon announced its Freevee platform would pick up the show in November.

"With Neighbours launching on Amazon Freevee in North America, we are beyond excited to have an actor of Mischa's caliber join us for the beginning of this exciting new chapter," said Jason Herbison, executive producer of Neighbours.

"Mischa's character is dynamic and unpredictable, and will have an instant presence on Ramsay Street."

"Our loyal viewers are going to love her, locally and abroad."

"I'm excited to be part of this iconic show's next chapter, and I am really looking forward to being back in Australia — a place I know and love," Barton shared in a statement.

"I think the character of Reece is going to be a great role for me to explore and play with."

Barton is best known for playing troubled teen Marissa Cooper on The O.C. for its first three seasons.

She has also appeared in The Sixth Sense, as well as one season of MTV's ill-fated The Hills reboot.

The revival of Neighbours is still a big surprise, but the show has a passionate fanbase around the world.

"Neighbours has captivated its audience for nearly 40 years, building a dedicated and loyal following for the lives and stories of the characters on Ramsay Street," said Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD original content and programming at Amazon Studios when the show got a pickup.

"With the power of streaming, we're able to offer a catalog of thousands of Neighbours episodes for new audiences to discover this legendary series and current fans to relive their favorite moments."

"We look forward to immersing the audience in new Ramsay Street experiences when we relaunch the show next year for Amazon Freevee and Prime Video customers."

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