Malcolm in the Middle star not seen in years 'confirms he'll be returning for reboot'

Great news for Malcolm in the Middle fans, as it looks like a fan-favourite character is making their return after years out of the limelight.

For those of you that grew up in the 90s and 2000s, it's fair to say that the sitcom was one of the shows of the era.

The TV series ran for seven seasons and followed the everyday shenanigans of the Wilkerson family. From hot-headed mum Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) to immature father Hal (Bryan Cranston), the show had a range of characters for fans to enjoy.

Their family consisted of four boys: Francis, Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey - and one of them is expected to make a shock return.

In case you missed it, Disney+ announced last year that the series will be returning to screens for a short run - four episodes to be exact.

The likes of the aforementioned Cranston and Kaczmarek are returning, as well as the actor behind the titular character, Frankie Muniz, who has recently started a career in race car driving.

But what about everyone else?

Well, it looks like Justin Berfield, the actor behind Malcolm's older brother Reese, will be returning to the show as well.

A hilarious troublemaker and an expert in causing problems, the chaotic character and gifted cook is set to be part of the new series.

Taking to Instagram, he wrote: "On my way to meet the MITM fam. See you soon!"

The 38-year-old stepped back from acting after the series concluded, though he had a few voice roles in animated shows, moving on to production roles.

Berfield seemingly announced his return to the sitcom (Fox)

He was an executive producer for sitcom Sons of Tucson, and also had parts to play in films such as Bad Moms and Limitless.

The former actor has been away from the public eye for the best part of 20 years, even becoming a father in that time.

Reese is undoubtedly essential to any reboots of the show, and his character's pranks, chaos, and mischief was key to the show.

Fans will be over the moon to see Berfield back as Reese, though one comment below the post seemed to garner attention as well.

It came from the similarly quiet Erik Per Sullivan, who seemingly went into hiding after the series wrapped, with few people knowing what he's up to.

While Kaczmarek previously suggested that he wouldn't be interested in a reboot, he commented two clapping emojis and a heart emoji below Berfield's post.

The emojis prompted a number of responses from fans, begging the actor to return for the show's return, though it isn't clear if he will be a part of it.

Could we see all the Wilkerson brothers return? (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

Amid the worries, Frankie Muniz recently spoke about the reboot to the uInterview YouTube channel, assuring fans: "I think everyone will be very happy with the amount of characters that are on the new Malcolm in the Middle, I mean, characters that you don't expect to see, that you wouldn't expect to see, over the first seven seasons, you'll see a lot of people - I'll say that."

There's no doubt about it - getting Erik Per Sullivan back would be huge and some would argue, essential, to the show's short return.