It, apparently, didn't "make sense" for her to reprise her role
Bummer news for the old skool Melrose Place fans … according to Entertainment Weekly magazine, Heather Locklear has decided to pass on reprising the role of the micro-skirted, tough-as-nails Amanda Woodward in the upcoming CW redux of the 90’s hit TV series Melrose Place which is currently in production. Earlier this month we learned that Ashlee Simpson had signed on to appear in the Melrose redux. A day later we learned that Marcia Cross (who played Dr. Kimberly Shaw-Mancini on the original series) is “too busy” to worry about returning to Melrose Place. Rumors were swirling that producers were desperate to get Locklear to reprise her role but, alas, it wasn’t meant to be:

One person who won’t be moving back into Melrose Place? Heather Locklear. The actress — who played the key role of Amanda Woodward on the original series — has turned down an offer to join the cast of the CW’s update of the hit Fox serial, EW has learned. “There wasn’t a way to bring her back that made sense,” says a source close to the situation. While the network and studio won’t comment, her reps do confirm that Locklear has passed. It’s no secret that the CW was aggressively pursuing Locklear and will likely want to secure another star from the original show. The reboot, which is slated for the fall, has already cast Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Jessica Lucas, Michael Rady, and Katie Cassidy.
It’s no wonder that the Melrose folks really wanted Locklear to return … before she debuted on the series the first time around, MP was a kinda boring-none-too-special run-of-the-mill TV series where everyone loved one another and there was no drama to speak of. Enter Heather Locklear as Amanda Woodward and all hell broke loose … the back-stabbing, the bitch fights, the sleeping around … the show found new life and went on to become one of the most successful series of the decade. That being said, I don’t understand how producers think that Locklear would be able to work the same magic this time around. Even if she reprises her role as Amanda Woodward, I doubt her character would still have the same punch after all these years to invigorate the show. I’m not sure if any of the old MP characters can do that … but that wont’ stop producers from trying. They need to get a female old skooler to return … they’ll prolly get Laura Leighton (who played Sydney Andrews) or Daphne Zuniga (who played Jo Reynolds). They’ll prolly also get a male old skooler or two (Grant Show? Thomas Calabro?). At least now we know, for sure, that Heather Locklear won’t be returning … and it’s prolly for the best.
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