Matt Long Confirms He Will Return for ‘Manifest’s’ Final Season

William Earl
·3 min read
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Matt Long, who plays Zeke Landon on “Manifest,” has confirmed that he will return for the fourth and final season of the show on Netflix. He revealed the news during the Sept. 12 Creative Arts Emmys, where he was asked about the series in the press room.

“I don’t know what’s coming,” Long said. “I just hope that Zeke plays a really big part in it, and I’m just really excited and can’t wait to see what it is. We’ve got a few months before we start up, so we’re all really thrilled.”

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Long’s commitment was in doubt as he recently signed on to the upcoming NBC pilot “Getaway.”

When asked for clarification if he meant he was definitely returning to “Manifest,” Long said, “I will be back for some of it, and we are just trying to work out the maximum amount that we can. I love the characters so much, but as you know, the show was canceled. The other show is a pilot. We don’t know what’s happening with it yet. It’s also a really awesome project. So, we’re just trying to work out schedules and everybody wants the best thing for everyone. So fingers crossed that it all works out for the best.”

Netflix announced the return of “Manifest” in late August, with head of global television Bela Bajaria explaining the move as a way to give fans a proper ending.

“Since its premiere on Netflix in June, ‘Manifest’ has proven very popular with our members,” she said. “Jeff Rake and his team have crafted a beguiling mystery that has viewers around the world on the edge of their seats and believing again in second chances, and we’re thrilled that they will bring fans some closure with this final super-sized season.”

The fourth and final season of “Manifest” is confirmed to consist of 20 episodes, which is more than any of the first three individual seasons delivered when it aired on NBC. The first season, which launched in September 2018, featured 16 episodes, while the second and third seasons featured 13 episodes each. Season 3 aired its finale in June of this year.

Long first appeared on “Maniest” in the 12th episode of the first season. Unlike most of the other characters on “Manifest,” Zeke was not onboard Flight 828, nor did he have a loved one onboard the mysterious plane at the time it disappeared. (He only later developed a relationship with Michaela, played by Melissa Roxburgh.) However, he does experience a similar phenomenon to what they did. The passengers on that plane experienced a bout of extreme turbulence and when they landed, they learned multiple years had passed, though they had not aged at all. When they returned, they developed visions (or as the show puts it, “callings”) to see select events in the future. Zeke, on the other hand, experienced a freak blizzard while on a hike that forced him to seek shelter in a cave. The cave wasn’t enough, and he froze to death, coming back to life a year later. He, too, experiences callings.

Danielle Turchiano contributed to this report.

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