Grand Theft Auto Online is one of the most popular games in the world. Unsurprisingly, the anticipation for Rockstar's next update for GTA Online is easily comparable to that of the unveiling of Grand Theft Auto 6. It's rare for Rockstar to hint at or tease these updates before it's ready to deliver them, however. That's why clues to GTA Online's next update, whether it's about the update's content or release window, are rare. However, Ned Luke, the voice actor for Michael, recently provided a new clue for the community.
A recent rumor was spread regarding the possibility of Grand Theft Auto 5 protagonist Michael returning in a Grand Theft Auto Online update, much like Franklin has already done. Datamines have hinted at a new NPC spawning at a point in GTA Online referenced as "movie_set" in front of Record A Studios. Coincidentally, GTA Online's The Contract mission confirmed that Michael is currently working for Solomon Richards at the Richards Majestic Productions film studio. Fans leaped to the conclusion that any movie studio-related content must include Michael's return.
While, in most cases, fans would take this kind of rumor and work to provoke a response from a voice actor to see if it's true, Michael's voice actor Ned Luke decided not to wait. Luke called attention to the rumor on his own by retweeting an article on the subject. The message from Luke alongside the article was a simple shrugging emoji.
Any response from Luke whatsoever tied to the rumor of his return to voice Michael would have been embraced by the Grand Theft Auto Online community as an indication of the rumor's veracity. But the fact that Luke took the initiative to comment on the matter, retweeting an article that he likely had read, has all but led to a celebration among fans.
Obviously, there's no official announcement or confirmation at this point that Michael is coming to Grand Theft Auto Online via a new update, nor is there any news of a new update at all at this point. If this rumor is accurate and Michael is coming back, there's also no timeframe for when that update could be delivered.
What can be said with confidence is that Rockstar will continue making updates for Grand Theft Auto Online for the foreseeable future. Also, Rockstar has shown a proclivity for bringing back past Grand Theft Auto characters for its GTA Online updates. The rest will have to wait for an official announcement from Rockstar.
Grand Theft Auto Online is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.