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Neighbours is heading back to our screens in a very unexpected way – and it involves Hollywood star Margot Robbie.

The iconic Australian soap may have come to an end, but fans of Ramsay Street are getting another chance to revisit some of its most memorable stories.

Fremantle has announced a new partnership with vertical TV platform RoseBerry, which will transform selected Neighbours storylines from the show’s huge archive into short-form episodes designed specifically for mobile phones and social media. (News.com.au)

And one of the first characters to take centre stage will be Donna Freedman, played by Margot Robbie.

Margot Robbie is back as Donna

Before becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Robbie spent several years on Neighbours, playing Donna Freedman between 2008 and 2011.

Now, old footage featuring Robbie will be reworked into two Donna-focused storylines, creating around 150 minutes of short-form content.

The project uses RoseBerry’s AI technology, known as RedSnapper, to analyse the show’s archive and isolate particular character arcs and storylines before adapting them into a vertical format. (News.com.au)

That means viewers won’t be getting brand-new scenes filmed with Robbie. Instead, existing Neighbours footage is being edited and reformatted to tell Donna’s stories in a way designed for today’s mobile-first audience.

When will the new Neighbours episodes be released?

The new short-form episodes are expected to launch on RoseBerry’s Epis streaming platform in the spring.

The platform is subscription-based, with reports putting its pricing at between $14.99 and $29.99 per week. (News.com.au)

The move represents a very different approach to bringing an old television favourite back to audiences – rather than producing an entirely new series, the enormous Neighbours archive is being repurposed for a new generation of viewers.

Not everyone is happy about the AI experiment

The announcement has already attracted criticism from within the Neighbours world.

Veteran star Stefan Dennis has publicly criticised the project and raised concerns about the use of AI and archived performances. Representatives from Australia’s entertainment industry have also called for greater protections around consent and compensation for performers whose work is being used in AI-related projects. (Herald Sun)

So while fans may be excited to see Donna Freedman back on their screens, the project is also likely to fuel a much bigger debate about how classic television footage should be reused in the age of AI.

What do you think?

Would you watch Margot Robbie’s Neighbours return?

And what other classic Neighbours characters would you like to see get their own short-form episodes?

Let us know in the comments!