Rider Strong: I won't be in 'Boy Meets World' spinoff

The good news: Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel have officially signed on to reprise their roles as Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence in Girl Meets World, Disney Channel’s hotly anticipated Boy Meets World spinoff/sequel.

The bad news: In all likelihood, Rider Strong, who played the show’s third lead — trailer-park-kid-with-a-heart-of-gold Shawn Hunter — will not be joining them.

“Boy Meets World was a defining aspect of my life, and I cherish those seven years,” he said in a statement. “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.” Aw, undapants!

“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,’ Strong continues. “But Girl Meets World will be, and I think it should be, its own show. It will be about Cory and Topanga, their daughter, and a new set of characters.”

Neither Will Friedle (who played Eric Matthews) or William Daniels (the one and only Mr. Feeny) would comment when contacted by EW about Girl Meets World. While this may mean that they’re passing on the sequel as well, it could also indicate that they’re currently in talks with Disney. So don’t lose hope, BMW fans — there’s still a chance that more of the gang will be back together in the new show.

See Strong’s full statement — which includes a heartwarming story about Boy Meets World‘s universal appeal — below:

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, its 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.

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