Taylor Kitsch is staying off the field.
The “American Primeval” star, 44, has revealed he won’t return to star in the upcoming reboot of “Friday Night Lights.” Speaking to The Wrap at the Aug. 4 premiere of “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf,” Kitsch confirmed he was “asked to do” the new show but isn’t interested.
“Yeah, I’m not going back,” he said, shaking his head.
At the same event, Kitsch told “Access” he hasn’t spoken to his former “Friday Night Lights” costar Kyle Chandler about the project. But while he appears to have closed the door on a regular role in the reboot, Kitsch left open the possibility of a short appearance. “I’ll do a cameo,” he told “Access.” “I would do one. It’s got to be out of control, though.”
Kitsch starred as Tim Riggins on the original “Friday Night Lights,” which centers on a high school football team in Texas and aired for five seasons from 2006 to 2011. It was based on the 1990 nonfiction book and 2004 film of the same name.
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In December, Peacock confirmed a “new adaptation” of “Friday Night Lights” is in the works. According to the streamer, the show would take place “in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, when a ragtag high school football team and their damaged interim coach make an unlikely bid for a Texas High School State Championship. Through their unexpected rise, the football team becomes a beacon of light for their town.”
Original series showrunner Jason Katims is returning for the new series, as is director Peter Berg and producer Brian Grazer. No casting for the reboot has been announced.
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In January, Kitsch said in an interview on SiriusXM that he had “been asked” to be a part of the show, and he said he was toying with the idea of popping up in one episode.
“I’m always flattered,” he said. “Never say never. But I would come in and do something maybe for an episode or something, but I don’t want to go and do the whole thing.”
For his part, Chandler, who played coach Eric Taylor on “Friday Night Lights,” told the “Today” show in January he hadn’t heard anything about the reboot and hadn’t received a call about reprising his role. Connie Britton, who played Eric’s wife Tami Taylor, also told Parade in a March interview that the new show is “barely on” her radar.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taylor Kitsch in ‘Friday Night Lights’ reboot? Here’s what he says
