Never say never when it comes to the returns of hit shows with enthusiastic former stars, as the rumored revival of One Tree Hill has reportedly taken a big step forward. A sequel series is in the works for a very different platform than The WB/The CW where the original aired, with the very familiar faces from former One Tree Hill cast members already attached. That's not even all of the good news, so keep on reading for what you can expect from the new project.
While the sequel has not received a series order at the time of writing, Variety reports that the project is actively in development with Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, and Daneel Ackles as executive producers. Bush and Burton are already signed on to reprise their roles as Brooke and Peyton, respectively, and Ackles – who is producing alongside husband and Supernatural alum Jensen Ackles as part of their Chaos Machine production company – is said to be in talks to return on screen as Rachel as well.
I'd qualify that as plenty of good news straight off the bat, especially after Sophia Bush explained why she was coming around to a revival earlier this year despite previously saying that the idea of a revival was "complicated." Would anybody really be that invested in another story set in the One Tree Hill world without original stars?
Netflix and WBTV have not commented on the revival development reports at the time of writing, but I think it also qualifies as good news that original series creator, showrunner, and executive producer Mark Schwahn is not involved in the new project. Quite aside from the fact that the consensus among fans is that the later seasons were weaker than the earlier seasons, Schwahn was accused of sexual harassment of women in the cast and behind the scenes at One Tree Hill during its nine-season run. Hilarie Burton has even opened up about how the abuse continued to affect her even long after leaving the series.
There is some bad news, however. While Deadline reports that there have been talks between the executive producers and their fellow former castmates, Chad Michael Murray does not plan to return as Lucas Scott for the sequel series. This presents a potential problem, as Peyton and Lucas were together at the end of Season 9. In some better news about continuity from the end of One Tree Hill to however the story continues, Brooke's twin sons Davis and Jude are also said to be part of the series as teens, which suggests that the reboot could pick up in real time much like Netflix's Gilmore Girls revival did. The original ended in 2012.
All in all, I think there's more to celebrate than be bummed about at this point, even with the news that Chad Michael Murray is unlikely to return. There are plenty of cast members who seemingly haven't shot down potential returns, and there's no denying the enthusiasm of Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton. Along with Bethany Joy Galeotti (née Lenz), the two have been hosting the Drama Queens rewatch podcast to revisit their One Tree Hill days.
The wait is now on for details. If the news has put you in the mood to return to the original run of the series, you can find all nine seasons streaming with a Max subscription and/or a Hulu subscription.
