General Hospital fans who feared the ABC soap opera might have plans to resurrect Stone Cates from the dead can rest assured knowing that the writers probably have not penned a zombie storyline. Portrayer Michael Sutton hints that the character, who died in 1995 from an HIV/AIDS-related illness, will be appearing in Port Charles in a more ghostly manner, meaning Stone's groundbreaking storyline and resulting death will thankfully not be undone.
The actor told Soap Opera Digest that viewers can expect Stone to interact with Sonny (Maurice Benard) when he appears later this August.
"[This] was the first chance to do posthumous scenes with Sonny and Stone," Sutton tells the publication.
Funny enough, the California native has mostly retired from acting and generally only puts on his thespian hat when GH gives him a call. And this time, there was no question about whether or not the now-real-estate-agent would return to the soap.
"Maurice is so talented," he shares. "And with all the history we have together, I just knew it was going to be worthwhile."
However, a set-side source tells Soap Central that Sutton's return almost didn't happen -- and it has nothing to do with Sutton's availability. The show reportedly wanted another former performer for the story, but he or she declined the show's request to return.
What do you think about Sutton reprising his role as Stone? Are you glad to hear he'll likely be returning in a more ghostly manner, or were you hoping the writers had come up with a way to "undo" Stone's death? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
