Has 'Young and the Restless' nabbed Steve Burton?

"General Hospital" favorite Steve Burton said he was retiring to the outskirts of Nashville for a spell. Only three months later, however, buzz has him heading for "The Young and the Restless." While his arrival in Genoa City is no surprise, be warned: It has not been confirmed.

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When Steve Burton wrapped his run at "General Hospita"' after 21 years and hung up Jason "Stone Cold" Morgan's leather jacket, many soap aficionados suspected his former exec producer Jill Farren Phelps would lure him over to her new stomping grounds, "The Young and the Restless." Burton insisted he was looking to move his family out of Los Angeles for a spell, but now TV Guide is reporting the inevitable has happened: Their sources reveal Burton has signed a "major role" that will "start soon," though CBS hasn't confirmed that.

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Phelps is known for working with a preferred roster of actors, sometimes referred to as "Friends of Jill." Since she signed on to give Genoa City an overhaul (alongside headwriter Josh Griffith), fans have been watching to see which Friend she brings on board next. Thus far, Phelps has brought in three actors from her last gig, "Hollywood Heights." Robert Adamson (Noah) and Hunter Haley King (Summer) went from onscreen romance to playing Newman sibs, while Ignacio Serricchio (Alex), who worked with Phelps at "General Hospital" and "HH," is playing a tough cop with a connection to Noah and his ex-girlfriend, Adriana.

Phelps has also called in old-school soap-hopper Mark Pinter, who is set to go up against Victor and Jack when he shows up in Genoa City as Congressman Marcus Wheeler on Friday, Jan. 11. With eight soaps under his belt already, Pinter is best known from his stint as villainous politician Grant Harrison on "Another World," but he was most recently seen on "General Hospital." When MSN TV caught up with Pinter to get the story on his new gig (stay tuned for that interview!), he was quick to defend his former exec's penchant for working with the same actors.  

"I think Jill gets a bad wrap because she uses people, but that's the way a business is anywhere," Pinter said. "You get jobs, generally, because of where you've been and if you're a director or producer, you want to work with people you've worked with before. I'm very appreciative of Jill. She's a woman who has great allegiance to people and I don't know anybody who has worked with Jill who doesn't have great allegiance to her, as well."

Burton is someone who has made his allegiance to Phelps clear. Many fans expected to see him show up in Genoa City, eventually -- just not this soon! There's also been much tittering about movie star-turned-"General​ Hospital" alumnus James Franco (ex-Franco), who played psychotic nemesis to Burton's Jason and also worked with Phelps on "Hollywood Heights." Could there be a reunion in the works?

At this point, it's all speculation. Burton is still tweeting from outside of Nashville and gigging with Port Chuck, a band he formed with co-stars Scott Reeves, Bradford Anderson and Brandon Barash during his run at "General Hospital." 

Assuming Burton actually comes to "The Young and the Restless," the biggest question on everyone's mind is whether the former mob hit man will show up as a good guy, play another a toughie with a heart or go pure villain. It will also be interesting to see whether his legion of fans from Port Charles will follow him to Genoa City. Stay tuned.  

"The Young and the Restless" airs weekdays on CBS.