Boy Meets World's Rider Strong Comments On Disney Channel's Girl Meets World Sequel

With the confirmed involvement of Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel for the Boy Meets World sequel pilot Disney Channel has in the works, fans have gone one to speculate over whether or not some of the other cast members will return for Girl Meets World. Rider Strong has released a statement discussing the series and potential involvement in the sequel at Disney Channel.

From what's been previously said about the Boy Meets World sequel project in development at Disney Channel, the story would focus on Cory and Topanga's pre-teen daughter. From what Rider Strong says, it doesn't sound like his character Shawn Hunter fits into that story. The actor shared a statement, which EW posted, discussing what the original series meant to him and went on to say that he has no official involvement in Girl Meets World, though he doesn't rule out the possibility of a guest spot.

Fans of the show will appreciate his full statement, as he speaks fondly about the show and what it's meant to him in his life.

Years ago, I was on a train in Spain. It was four in the morning, and I was traveling by myself from Salamanca to Madrid.

A young man approached me and began talking rapidly. I don’t speak Spanish. He didn’t speak English.

I couldn’t figure out what he wanted. We went back and forth for awhile in a stumbling, half-sign-language conversation. Finally, right when he was about to give up, he got an idea. He pointed at me and said one word.

“Topanga?”

Call it the universal language of Boy Meets World.

For more than two-thirds of my life, I’ve had the good fortune to experience the incredible support of Boy Meets World fans. Complete strangers hug me on the street. I’ve been mobbed by school children on the subway. I’ve had tow-truck drivers recognize me and refuse to let me pay. I’ve had people buy me drinks in Louisville, in Hyderabad, in Accra…

And that’s just the people I’ve met in person. I can’t express enough gratitude to the BMW fans, who not only watched our show when it first aired, but who continue to watch it, spread the word, and even introduce it to their children. It’s an overwhelming feeling to have that kind of support for something we did over a decade ago. When I opened a Twitter account, I thought maybe I’d get a few hundred followers. It wasn’t long before thousands of people were checking in and sending me messages.

Boy Meets World was a defining aspect of my life, and I cherish those seven years. It was never just a job — on a personal level, many of my best memories and friendships were formed because of it.

So I am extremely happy for Ben and Danielle to be able to continue the story. At this point, I have no official involvement in Girl Meets World. There might be a chance to see some of the BMW cast in a guest spot, and I think it would be nice to find out where our characters have been all these years. But Girl Meets World will be, and I think it should be, it’s own show. It will be about Cory and Topanga, their daughter, and a new set of characters.

It’s the next generation.

And I, for one, can’t wait to see it evolve.

I love this. (Not the part about Shawn not being around, that's disappointing). There's no bitterness over being excluded, nor even a hint of a tone that suggests he wants nothing to do with the potential sequel. He's simply expressing his love for the original show, and saying that Shawn's not going to be a major part of the sequel, which he sounds optimistic about. Hopefully we'll see Strong pop in for a visit once in a while, should the show go to series.

Meanwhile, EW says they haven't gotten a comment either way from Will Friedle, who played Cory's brother Eric, or William Daniels, who played Mr. Feeny. No comment may be good news though, as it's entirely possible they're not at liberty to speak on it because they're in negotiations. But that's just speculation. Perhaps there's a place in the show for either or both of them.