We Now Know Whether Matt Long Will Return For Manifest Season 4

Thanks to some hard work from the fans and cast, the well-loved mystery drama "Manifest" is coming back for a fourth and final season on Netflix, after a surprise cancellation from its original home of NBC. After the show was saved, creator Jeff Rake, the writers, and everyone else involved with the show seemed eager to get the ball rolling on Season 4. Rake even revealed that if everything goes according to plan, "Manifest" Season 4 should go into production in November or December of this year, meaning fans can hopefully expect new episodes in mid-to-late 2022. But there are still logistics that need to be worked out, with one of the most important issues being whether or not the entire main cast can return. 

For a while there, it seemed like it was really the end for "Manifest," so you can't blame the actors for moving on and pursuing new roles. But now that the fourth season is moving forward, the show really wouldn't be the same without all of the characters returning. In particular, a lot of people were curious about whether or not Matt Long would be returning. Long plays Zeke Landon on "Manifest," a man who isn't on Flight 828, but he experiences his own resurrection and finds himself drawn to the flight's survivors — mainly Michaela Stone (Melissa Roxburgh). 

Shortly after the initial cancellation of "Manifest," it was announced by Deadline that Long would star in an upcoming NBC pilot called "Getaway." This led many fans to wonder if he would be able to come back for "Manifest" Season 4. Long was recently asked about his involvement in the final season of the hit show, and he revealed some great news.

Long's status in the final season of fan-favorite series "Manifest" was up in the air due to the actor signing on for the new "Getaway" pilot, which will co-star Annie Ilonzeh, Marg Helgenberger, Jasmine Mathews, and E.J. Bonilla. But thanks to his recent comments at the Creative Arts Emmys, fans now know that there was never anything to worry about. 

When asked about "Manifest" Season 4, Long said that "we're all really thrilled" about the renewal. As for his character, the actor stated, "I just hope that Zeke plays a really big part in it, and I'm just really excited and can't wait to see what it is" (via Variety). While this statement confirms that Zeke will be back in new episodes, Long was asked for further details about exactly how much he will be involved with Season 4. Long explained, "I will be back for some of it, and we are just trying to work out the maximum amount that we can." He went on to note that the "Getaway" show is only a pilot, so there's no guarantee that the project will even continue on past that. But overall, Long's involvement in the final season of "Manifest" is entirely based on if his schedule can be organized to fit both the popular show and his new project. 

While it seems obvious that Long wants to be as involved with the final episodes as he can, sometimes it's not entirely up to him, as he signed a contract for "Getaway" before receiving news of the renewal. "Manifest" fans should simply keep their fingers crossed that everything works out and Zeke appears in the entire fourth season.