- "You" showrunner Sera Gamble told IndieWire that Jenna Ortega was meant to return for season four.
- Gamble said that Ortega was unable to appear because of conflicts with her show "Wednesday."
"You" showrunner Sera Gamble revealed that Jenna Ortega was intended to return as Ellie Alves on season four, but couldn't due to her commitment to the series "Wednesday."
"We wanted to bring Ellie back and we heard, 'Oh, Jenna is doing some show,'" Gamble told IndieWire in a new interview. "It's been just such a pleasure to see Jenna this year. We have ideas for Ellie if her schedule allows her to visit us again."
Ortega rose to fame as a child star on shows like The CW's "Jane the Virgin" and Disney Channel's "Stuck in the Middle."
In recent years, she's become more popular through her roles on "You," the slasher film "X," and the "Scream" franchise.
"Wednesday" debuted on Netflix in November and is now one of the streamer's most-watched shows ever. Ortega, whose dance scene went viral, has received nominations at this year's Golden Globes and SAG Awards for her starring role as Wednesday Addams.
Ortega joined "You" at the start of season two as the main character Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) traveled to Los Angeles for a fresh start.
Throughout the season, Joe acted as a protective figure to Ellie, a 15-year-old aspiring filmmaker who lived in his apartment building.
After Ellie's older sister, Delilah (Carmela Zumbado), is murdered by Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti), Joe gives Ellie money and tells her to leave LA and start over somewhere else.
On the season two finale, it's revealed that she relocated to Florida.
Although Ellie isn't part of Joe's suburban life in season three, he's shown to still be discreetly sending her money.
It's unclear how Ortega's character would have factored into season four of "You."
The new season is primarily set in London, England with Joe assuming yet another identity — this time Jonathan Moore — and landing a job as a literature professor at a university.
Ellie is subtly mentioned on season four, part one of "You," released on Netflix on Thursday.
Minutes into the season four premiere, while Joe is teaching, he goads his students into a heated discussion about a novel.
In Joe's voiceover, he says: "Most of my professor tricks are one trick I picked up spending time with a girl named Ellie. Wind them up, let them go. Teenagers will argue both sides for you."
Ortega, for her part, expressed interest in reprising her "You" role in a 2021 interview with Cosmopolitan.
"I love that set," she said. "The team behind it, the writers are so witty and so funny, and then also just to work with Penn Badgley again. I had such an incredible time there that if they would like to have me back, I'm more than happy to take a few digs at Joe again."