Riverdale casts Charles Melton as the new Reggie Mantle

Following the news that Ross Butler would not be returning for season two of Riverdale, the show has now found its new Reggie Mantle.

The CW has confirmed that Charles Melton will take over the role. You may recognise the actor from previous roles in American Horror Story and Glee.

Riverdale is an American teen drama television series based on the characters by Archie Comics. In the comics, the character of Reggie is very prominent, however, in the TV show he only played a minor role so far. This was partly down to the fact that Ross was filming for the Netflix Original Series 13 Reasons Why at the same time. Due to 13 Reasons Why being renewed for a second season, it was then decided that the role of Reggie would be recast.

At the time, show creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told TVLine, “We love what Ross did with the role of Reggie [this season], but because of his commitments to other projects, we couldn’t use him nearly as much as we would have liked.”

Ross has taken to Twitter to share his gratitude for the experience and also gave Charles the seal of approval. In a video, he said: “I’m so happy that The CW, Greg [Berlanti], Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa], David [Rapaport] and Sarah [Schechter] gave me, an Asian-American, a chance to play a traditionally-caucasian character, Reggie.”

“In light of recent casting news, I am even more excited and more proud that they decided to keep Reggie Asian-American. It means a lot to me, it means a lot to the Asian-American community, and so I just wanted to say thank you guys again, one more time. I support Charles Melton all the way, passing the baton off.”

One last little thing… @TheCW @WriterRAS @RapaportCasting @GBerlanti @SarahSoWitty @_MELTON_ @ArchieComics #riverdale #aapi #represent pic.twitter.com/p9KtMEzEQg

— Ross Butler (@RossButler) May 13, 2017

Ross also shared his final scene as Reggie Mantle with his Twitter following.

My final scene as #ReggieMantle in true Reggie style ? Thanks for showing so much love for a character I will truly miss playing. #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/mboY4uRy7Q

— Ross Butler (@RossButler) May 12, 2017

Whilst we’re sad to see Ross go, we’re happy to welcome Charles into the Riverdale family and can’t wait to see what he brings to the role. Riverdale’s dramatic season finale recently aired, and we’re already on tenterhooks for season two, although its premiere date is still unknown.

What are your thoughts on Charles Melton’s casting? Let us know on Twitter @CelebMix

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