The end of August came with a sweet surprise: Deadline reported that the hit CW drama One Tree Hill would be getting a second life with a sequel headed by cast stars Hilarie Burton and Sophia Bush. The old crew is coming to Netflix! Well, some of them.
The original show aired for nine seasons, ending in 2012. Burton left the series after season six, but has remained connected to the show through her One Tree Hill recap podcast Drama Queens, with both Bush and costar Bethany Joy Lenz. After the news broke, she posted on Instagram with a picture of Bush and former costars Bevin Prince and Danneel Ackles to celebrate.
Here’s everything to know about the sequel so far.
Who is in charge of the One Tree Hill sequel?
In 2017, original creator Mark Schwahn was accused of sexual harassment and manipulation in an open letter signed by Burton, Bush, and multiple other women on the cast and crew. In her post about the sequel, Burton seemed to allude to reclaiming the show for the women in it, writing in her caption, “What if you really can go back home?
If there’s an opportunity to team with brilliant creatives and build a space where all our friends can show off their talents? Own our history? Reclaim our turf?”
Bush posted the same message and photo of the group, including a second slide of a gif where she says in character as Brooke, “Why? Because I love you.”
The sequel is now being handled by writer and executive producer Becky Hartman Edwards.
What will the One Tree Hill sequel be about?
According to Deadline, the sequel begins 20 years after the original show’s finale. Peyton and Brooke are the adults now and they have their own teenagers who are navigating life and love, “facing challenges not unfamiliar to what they tackled in the original series like love, insecurities, and grief.”
Yes, that means we will be seeing Brooke’s twins, Davis and Jude, all grown up. Other plot points may very much depend on who is returning to the cast. Speaking of…
Who will be in the cast of the One Tree Hill sequel?
So far, Burton and Bush are clearly confirmed. At the moment, most people are not. While both Prince and Ackles are in the other cast member’s pics, Ackles is reportedly only “in talks” about her return. Other former actors on the show have commented on Burton’s post to indicate their enthusiastic desire to return, including Robert Buckley, Tyler Hilton, Bryan Greenberg, Jana Kramer, and Daphne Zuniga.
Otherwise, confirmations center on who is not returning. Chad Michael Murray has “no plans to return” to the series. Murray served as the show’s protagonist for much of the series before he also exited after season six, only returning for a guest appearance in season nine. Lucas and Peyton ended the show with a daughter, Sawyer. This leaves many fans wondering how a storyline so central to the show will be dealt with in a sequel.
The other big question is whether or not James Lafferty and Lenz will return as Nathan Scott and Haley James Scott.
When will the One Tree Hill sequel go into production?
So far, there’s no timeline for when filming will begin or when we can expect to see the show on Netflix.
This post will be updated.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.