Jenna Ortega is not in You Season 4 because of Wednesday

In a recent interview with IndieWire, You's showrunner Sera Gamble revealed they wanted to bring Ortega back for Season 4 of You but couldn't do so due to her commitment to Wednesday, saying:

We wanted to bring Ellie back and we heard, 'Oh, Jenna is doing some show.' It's been just such a pleasure to see Jenna this year. We have ideas for Ellie if her schedule allows her to visit us again.

Ortega portrayed Ellie Alves, the younger sister of Joe Goldberg's landlord in the second season of You. Alves was one of Goldberg's favorite people in the show and eventually became his confidante after she assists him with creating an online account. Unfortunately, Love Quinn, Goldberg's wife, murdered Alves' sister, thus leaving the 15-year-old with no guardian. To protect her from Child Protection Services, Goldberg sends her away, although he stayed in touch and occasionally sent her money for her upkeep.

Fortunately, Ortega is open to reprising her role as Ellie, which means there is a possibility she could return to the show in the future. During an interview with Teen Vogue in 2019, the 20-year-old actress stated that "It would be amazing to see Ellie come back and take control of her life." She further stated that whenever Ellie returns, she wants her to be a "badass" character as opposed to a sad and vulnerable one.

However, since departing from You in 2019, the actress has been busy and involved in numerous projects. In addition to Wednesday, which is getting a second season, Ortega will feature in Scream VI on March 10. Ortega is currently filming Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall with her Wednesday co-star, Percy Hynes White, and is also billed to star in Finestkind and Miller's Girl, both of which are currently in post-production. Given her packed schedule, it is hard seeing her reprising her role as Ellie Alves anytime soon.

The first part of You Season 4 is currently available to stream on Netflix. The second half will come out on March 9.