The long-rumored One Tree Hill sequel series is closer to becoming a reality at Netflix.
Original stars Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton are set to executive produce and reprise their roles of Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer, respectively, in the sequel series from writer/executive producer Becky Hartman Edwards and Warner Bros. TV, which is currently in development at the streamer, sources reveal to Deadline. Jensen Ackles and Danneel Ackles also executive produce through their Chaos Machine banner with the latter in talks to return as Rachel Scott. Emily Moss Wilson is a producer.
Created by Mark Schwahn, One Tree Hill premiered in 2003 and ran for 9 seasons on The WB network and its successor the CW. The sequel is said to take place 20 years later following best friends Brooke and Peyton who are now parents to teens and facing challenges not unfamiliar to what they tackled in the original series like love, insecurities and grief, we understand.
The coming-of-age drama also starred Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Bethany Joy Galeotti, Austin Nichols, Antwon Tanner and Paul Johansson, among others. Deadline hears there have been conversations with other members of the ensemble cast, however, Bush and Burton are the only ones set thus far. Murray, who played Lucas Scott across 6 seasons and returned as a guest star in Season 9, has no plans to return for the follow-up, we understand.
Deadline has been tracking the project for a while, and it went public this morning in Production Weekly as it has been going through deal-making and development. Reps for Netflix and WBTV declined to comment on this story.
Netflix previously revived another signature WBTV series that ran on the WB and CW, Gilmore Girls, where Murray was a breakout before landing a lead on One Tree Hill.
Set in a fictional North Carolina town, One Tree Hill begins as a story about two half-brothers, Lucas (Murray) and Nathan (Lafferty), with a strained relationship forced to navigate high school together whose social circles eventually intersect. As the show progressed, the story opened to follow all of the friendships, romance, heartbreak and familial tensions in Tree Hill, through the lens of the teens. Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer and Haley James Scott (Galeotti) often anchored the storyline.
One Tree Hill creator Schwahn, who served as executive producer and showrunner on the original series, has no involvement in the sequel. In 2017, a number of OTH female cast and crew members, including Bush and Burton, spoke out, accusing him of sexual harassment. The follow-up, headlined by the duo, represents the women of OTH reclaiming the show.
Peyton and Brooke are childhood best friends who, throughout the series, become more like sisters. Their relationship is put through the wringer as they overcome a myriad of obstacles, most notably their love triangle with Lucas. When the series begins, Lucas joins their social circle and brings along his best friend, Haley, who has a whirlwind romance with Nathan and marries him in high school. The two also have a son, Jamie (Jackson Brundage), who was born their senior year.
In the end, Peyton marries Lucas and Brooke falls in love with Julian (Austin Nichols), with whom she has twins, Davis and Jude, characters who will return in the new series as teens according to the show’s synopsis.
Danneel Ackles also recurred for several seasons as Rachel Gatina, initially as an antagonist to Brooke but they later developed a friendship cementing Rachel as part of the group.
Burton and Bush also host a One Tree Hill rewatch podcast with co-star Galeotti, titled Drama Queens which continues to air and is currently in its seventh season. They also welcome guest stars to the podcast, including Jana Kramer, who joined for their most recent episode. Burton most recently stepped back from working on the podcast with Robert Buckley taking over.
Katie Campione contributed to this report.
