Though Michelle Tanner will not play a physical role in the Netflix spinoff to ABC’s sitcom, Full House, called Fuller House, in 2016, that does not mean that she will be forgotten or not be mentioned in the series. According to actress Jodie Sweetin, who played Stephanie Tanner, Michelle’s older sister, in Full House and will reprise her role in Fuller House, Michelle Tanner will still be mentioned occasionally on the sequel.
The reason that is being reported by various media sources that Michelle Tanner will not be a physical character in Fuller House is that the twins who originally played Michelle in Full House, namely Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, decided to turn down whatever deal they supposedly were offered. Despite that, Sweetin, 33, stated in an interview she did with Us Weekly that Michelle Tanner will still be talked about on episodes of Fuller House. Sweetin said “It’s not like we’re not talking about her.”
Sweetin did not mention what Michelle Tanner’s storyline in Fuller House might be, but she will not be forgotten. That has led some fans to speculate about it. Some possible explanations about Michelle’s absence that have been bantered about include that maybe the characters in Fuller House will say that Michelle is busy travelling about the world, or possibly she joined the military when she got old enough, or some fans have suggested that she might have passed away but will still be fondly remembered.
As for Sweetin’s character, Stephanie Tanner, she will be portrayed as being an aspiring musician. She decides to move in with D.J., played by Candance Cameron Bure, who is pregnant and has recently become widowed. D.J. invites her and D.J.’s best friend, Kimmy Gibbler, played by actress Andrea Barber, to move in with her to help her take care of her two sons and her baby, once he or she is born. Basically, the sequel, Fuller House, has the same formula as Full House, but with boys instead of girls being raised by women, in a sort of role reversal.
That does not mean that the original male actors from Full House will not be reprising their roles, just that they will not be the main focus of the sequel. Dave Coulier, Bob Saget, and John Stamos will all be in the sequel, but not necessarily in every episode. They might sometimes just appear in guest-starring roles, like Stamos, who is under contract with Fox to be in the upcoming sitcom, Grandfathered.
Reportedly, everybody who will be returning and reprising their roles from Full House in the sequel are excited about the prospect. Sweetin stated that they have been talking about the possibility of a sequel for several years, at least since 2007. She stated that there were periods of time when she thought to herself, “This is not going to happen!” But, she said that when they all pitched the idea to Netflix, “They were so excited about it.”
With most of the original cast of Full House also appearing in Fuller House, Sweetin said that their first day back together acting on the set will be “quite a moment.” She said that she would like her character “to be a really interesting, complex, deep,” one.
When John Stamos recently wrote at his Facebook account about Fuller House, he said that appearing in the Netflix sequel “is not a money gig for any of us.” He added that they all “just want to have fun” reprising their roles, and they “want to do it in a classy way.”
Production on Fuller House is scheduled to begin this coming July. Michelle Turner will not be forgotten, but she will not have a physical role in the sequel. Besides the return of the cast members already mentioned, Lori Loughlin will also be returning in the same role she played in Full House, Rebecca Donaldson.
Written By Douglas Cobb
Sources:
Cinema Blend: Michelle Tanner Will Still Have
A Presence On Fuller House
Entertainment Weekly (blog): Michelle Tanner will
‘still have a presence’ on ‘Fuller House’
Us Magazine: Jodie Sweetin: Fuller House Starts Filming In July, Michelle Character Will “Still Have a Presence”
