The 17-year-old actress is set to follow the footsteps of Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato by starring in a new original series as the lead.
- Mar 16, 2011
AceShowbiz - With Miley Cyrus graduating from "Hannah Montana" and Selena Gomez leaving "Wizards of Waverly Place", Disney is in need of a new star and a new sitcom. The mouse house has decided to launch the career of Debby Ryan who plays Bailey Pickett on "The Suite Life on Deck".
"It's been thrilling to watch Debby grow from an unknown actress to one of our top stars," said Gary Marsh, Disney Channel Worldwide entertainment prexy. Ryan is to star as the titular character of "Jessie", a sitcom about a teen from rural Texas who moves to New York and becomes a nanny to a wealthy family with four children.
The new series would be previewed at the channel's upfront presentation on Wednesday, March 16 in New York where the 17-year-old actress is scheduled to attend. The plan is to make "Jessie" a companion series to "Good Luck Charlie" this Fall. Production will begin in spring with approximately 22 to 26 episodes on tap.
Meanwhile, Ryan continues her role as Bailey in the movie version of "Suite Life". The announcement of "Jessie" will coincide the premiere of the telepic on March 25. Ryan is also known as the lead actress in Disney's TV movie "16 Wishes".
