Report: 'OLTL' actors going back to 'GH' but as different characters

LOS ANGELES, March 25 (UPI) -- Actors who brought their characters to "General Hospital" after ABC canceled "One Life to Live" will now play new people on the U.S. soap, TVGuide.com reported.

Michael Easton, Roger Howarth and Kristen Alderson started reprising their "OLTL" roles of John McBain, Todd Manning and Starr Manning on "GH" last year after "OLTL" was canceled to make way for more lifestyle programming on ABC.

When Prospect Park recently announced it was reviving "OLTL" online, most of the cast from the television version returned.

It was not immediately clear, however, if Easton, Howarth and Alderson would leave "GH" and return to "OLTL," or play John, Todd and Starr on both shows since Prospect Park owns the rights to their characters.

TVGuide.com said the actors have not been working on "GH" for weeks while the legal issues are being hammered out, but may return to the show soon as different characters.

Howarth is additionally expected to play Todd on the re-boot of "OLTL," but only for a few weeks.

"Prospect Park has been extremely difficult to deal with on this issue so 'GH' basically said: 'Screw it! We'll create all new characters!'" one source told TVGuide.com. "It's the only way 'GH' can get past the problem and get on with business."