Austin Butler Says He Hasn't 'Heard Anything' About Reprising His Zoey 101 Role in Upcoming Film

Emma McIntyre/WireImage Austin Butler

Austin Butler is breaking his silence about any potential of an appearance in the upcoming Zoey 101 film project, which he says he wasn't informed about.

The upcoming Paramount+ movie, Zoey 102, was announced back in January, when star Jamie Lynn Spears revealed to PEOPLE that she'd be reuniting with former cast mates Erin Sanders, Sean Flynn, Matthew Underwood, Christopher Massey, Abby Wilde and Jack Salvatore as she reprises the titular role of Zoey Brooks from the original Nickelodeon series.

Nickelodeon/Everett

RELATED: See the Cast of Zoey 101, Then and Now!

And while fans have been looking forward to the movie and wondering if Butler will return to one of his first TV roles from the '00s, it isn't looking likely.

"I haven't heard anything about that, I don't know," Butler said on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, adding, "I'm so grateful for all those stepping stones that I had throughout my career."

"Zoey 101 was a big turning point for me cause it was the first time I was ever a series regular on a show so I got to be a part of an entire season. I remember getting my first line on a TV show and that was huge for me," he recalled.

"You have all these different moments that are pivotal...But now I'm just going after whatever story resonates with me or whatever director or actors I really wanna work with."

RELATED: Jamie Lynn Spears Teases Zoey 101 Cast Reunion: "Are You Ready?"

In the original Nickelodeon series, which ran from 2005 to 2008, Butler played recurring character James Garrett — the love interest of Zoey who appeared on the show's fourth season.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Zoey 102 — which is looking as if it might be Butler-less — will be streaming on Paramount+ later in the year, as the Pacific Coast Academy students reunite for a full-length feature.

"I'm beyond thrilled to be back alongside my PCA family and continue the story of Zoey and all the characters fans know and love," Spears told PEOPLE. "As an executive producer, it's been an exciting opportunity to work with such incredible talent as well as Paramount+ and Nickelodeon."

Besides Butler, also missing from the announced returnees are Victoria Justice and Alexa Nikolas, the latter who has spoken out against Nickelodeon, alleging that the network didn't protect her as a child actor.

Spears previously teased a possible reunion with her Nickelodeon castmates on Twitter in October 2020, also writing on Instagram, "Are you ready?" Before that, she reunited with the cast of Zoey 101 during an All That sketch in July 2020.

Several Zoey 101 cast members also met up for a night out in July 2019 when Massey, Flynn, Underwood, Justice and Paul Butcher all shared moments from their reunion on social media.

"Hi Jamie Lynn, we miss you, we wish you could be here, and we wish to see you soon," the group yelled in unison during the outing, followed by collectively belting out the Zoey 101 theme song.