‘Heroes’ Star Zachary Quinto Confirms Sylar Won’t Be ‘Reborn’

We haven’t yet a clear picture of NBC’s forthcoming ‘Heroes Reborn’ reboot (and in truth had hoped they’d forgotten about it), but more and more it seems ‘Chuck’ star Zachary Levi will be leading a brand-new cast. Following earlier uncertainty over the idea, original series star Zachary Quinto has confirmed that his breakout villainous role of Gabriel “Sylar” Gray won’t be ‘Reborn’ among the new ‘Heroes.’

Confirmation of Quinto’s decline to return came at Sundance 2015 from the actor himself to BuzzFeed, adding that while he’d spoken with series creator Tim Kring, the former ‘American Horror Story’ and upcoming ‘Girls’ star had little interest in returning to the role. Quinto offered praise of his onetime ‘Heroes’ co-star Jack Coleman for returning, but seemed otherwise resolute:

No, I’m not going back. I talked to them about it, and Tim reached out to me when they decided they were going to do it. We had a great conversation. It was such a meaningful experience for me - I loved that job, I loved those people…I just felt like I didn’t want to go back to it…Tim was very, very understanding, Tim Kring. He was very understanding and supportive. I’m thrilled that they’re doing it, I’m thrilled that Jack Coleman is going back to it. And I know that they just cast Zach Levi, which is great. I mean, it’s a great thing to be a part of. I just felt like I needed to cultivate other outlets for myself.

Fellow series leads Ali Larter and Milo Ventimiglia previously shot down the possibility of returning to the series, leaving Jack Coleman the only original cast member to sign on thus far. ‘Nashville’ star and ‘Heroes’ alum Hayden Panettiere had also previously been asked about ‘Heroes Reborn,’ though at the time she’d not yet been asked to reprise her role as immortal healing cheerleader Claire Bennett.

‘Heroes Reborn’ has tentatively (and unfortunately) been scheduled for summer 2015, but what say you? Are you excited to see the franchise move forward with a new big bad, or will Sylar’s absence mar the reboot’s potential? How would you like to see the ‘Heroes’ franchise move forward?