‘Riverdale’ Season 2 Spoilers: Who Is Charles Melton? Actor Replaces Ross Butler As Reggie Mantle

“Riverdale” Season 2 has just cast Charles Melton as Ross Butler’s replacement for the role of Reggie Mantle.

Melton will serve as a recurring cast member in Season 2. In Season 1, Reggie was revealed to be Archie’s (KJ Apa) biggest nemesis. He was always competing with the lead character and was dubbed as a loudmouthed bully. Melton will take over the role, and his character is expected to bring more trouble to Archie’s already complicated life. Melton’s other TV credits include “Glee” and “American Horror Story: Hotel.”

Read: Is Archie's dad Fred dead or alive in “Riverdale”?

Last month, Butler’s exit from the hit The CW series was announced by executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. While speaking with TV Line, the EP said that Butler will no longer return due to scheduling conflicts.

“We love what Ross did with the role of Reggie this season, but because of his commitments, we couldn’t use him nearly as much as we would have liked. Next season, we want more Reggie one our show – he’s Archie’s rival – and because Ross is unavailable to come back to ‘Riverdale,’ we’re looking for a new Reggie. Those are big shoes to fill, but we’re confident we can find an actor who is as funny and sexy as Ross. And of course we all wish Ross the best,” he said.

A few weeks after Aguirre-Sacasa released his statement, Netflix announced the Season 2 renewal of “13 Reasons Why.” Butler also stars in the series as Zach, and the character is one of the people mentioned in Hannah Baker’s (Katherine Langford) tapes. “13 Reasons Why” drew a massive following, so Butler’s decision to return to the series instead of “Riverdale” no longer surprised his fans.

Other than Melton’s recent casting, “Riverdale” Season 2 is also expected to revisit Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Archie’s relationship. Towards the latter part of Season 1, Archie and Veronica (Camila Mendes) hooked up and became a couple. They asked Betty if she’s fine with the two of them dating, and she said yes because she’s already with Jughead (Cole Sprouse). But the first few episodes of “Riverdale” Season 1 revealed that Betty has strong feelings for Archie. Unfortunately, the latter couldn’t reciprocate because he only saw her as his best friend.

In the finale, it seemed as though Archie was unhappy over the fact that Betty was fine with her and Veronica dating. This cliffhanger will be addressed in Season 2, and a storyline about Archie’s true feelings for Betty will be revisited.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Aguirre-Sacasa said that Betty and Archie will always have that unique connection because they have been friends for a very long time. “Does he regret what he said in the pilot? Who knows? Do I believe what he says to Veronica? 100 percent, I do. But feelings are messy and not cut and dry. These kids have been under an enormous amount of stress, so things get jumbled up,” he said.

“Riverdale” Season 2 will premiere on The CW sometime in the fall.