One of the latest big bombshells to hit Hollywood involved Oscar winner Kevin Spacey being accused of sexual assault by Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp, and reactions to the news have been as swift and harsh as one would expect. Unsurprisingly, Netflix officially decided to pull the plug on House of Cards beyond the upcoming Season 6. But it appears the streaming giant isn't entirely done with all of the show's characters and political machinations, as Netflix is reportedly gearing up development for a House of Cards spinoff. And there's more than one idea at play.
Though neither Netflix nor production company Media Rights Capital are going on the record yet with talks of a House of Cards spinoff, Variety reports that both companies are in the early stages of developing a follow-up that steers clear of Frank Underwood's long and winding tale in Washington D.C. Multiple pitches are in contention at this point, but it sounds as though only one full spinoff series is being planned, as opposed to spreading the political love. And fans should be pumped that everyone's favorite White House Chief of Staff (among other duties) is first in line for one of those projects.
That's right, the Emmy-nominated Michael Kelly is at the center of one potential House of Cards spinoff. No details have been given about what that project's storyline would specifically be about, which makes sense, considering fans have no idea where his character Doug Stamper will be after Season 6. With Claire now the head woman on campus in Washington D.C., it's not even clear where Doug will be when Season 6 stars up. But he's an obvious choice for a character worthy of getting expanded beyond House of Cards' proper ending.
Again, things are still in the earliest stages of coming together, but the Doug Stamper project already has a writer onboard to craft a storyline pitch. Eric Roth, screenwriter of Forrest Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, has been tapped to write something up for it. (Incidentally, The Doug Stamper Project sounds ready-made for a battle of the bands flyer.) Roth served as an executive producer on House of Cards for its first four seasons, as well as an EP for the first season of the Epix political thriller Berlin Station, and is now performing the same duties for the upcoming TNT serial killer drama The Alienist. He's definitely got the know-how to make a Doug Stamper spinoff work.
Aside from that partially formed idea, there are apparently two other spinoff pitches being considered, but without any particular writers signed on for either of them. What's known, though, is that they would also obviously still take place within the same debauchery-filled political landscape as House of Cards itself. Just in case anyone thought that a spinoff would shift the location to Biloxi, Mississippi or something.
While those close to the show say that Season 6 was already being set up to be House of Cards' final season, the timing of the quasi-cancellation can't be coincidental. The formal announcement was made less than day after Kevin Spacey was accused of sexually assaulting Anthony Rapp at a party back around 1985, when the latter actor was just 14 years old. Spacey apologized for the alleged incident on social media, using that moment to declare that he's gay, and the response has been put through the wringer by just about everyone out there. It's to the point where, if House of Cards was a movie, it would have been scrapped by now, so it'll be interesting to see how (or if) Season 6 actually happens as planned.
For now, all five current seasons of House of Cards are available to stream on Netflix in their entirety. To see what other shows are yet to pop up this year, both streaming and non-streaming, head to our fall TV premiere schedule.
