Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton are confirmed
If you used to watch TV in the early 2000s, you certainly came across the series One Tree Hill, as well as several other series that marked a generation by being part of the network’s schedule.
Launched in 2003, the main plot revolves around teenager Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray), who dreams of being a basketball player, and his half-brother Nathan Scott (James Lafferty), with whom he had a troubled relationship.
Dealing with family conflicts, drama, and romance, the series ran for nine seasons. From the fifth season onwards, the teen content diminished and the series took on a new format.
In early 2024, One Tree Hill finally became available for streaming again and can currently be watched in the Prime Video catalog. While old fans miss the show and new viewers get to know it, rumors about the possibility of a revival are once again gaining momentum.
Revival confirmed
An audience favorite in the early 2000s, actor, writer, and former model Chad Michael Murray became well-known for playing Lucas Scott on One Tree Hill for six of the nine seasons it aired.
Raising curiosity about a possible future for the show, he recently stated that he does believe in a return of the series and that he can’t see a world in which One Tree Hill doesn’t come back, one way or another.
In an interview with E! News, the star revealed that “something is going to happen. Whether we get everyone together and do a live reading of the show, or create a new fictional future episode, I don’t know what it’s going to be,” he spoiled.
It has been announced that a One Tree Hill series is in development at Netflix. Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton are set to executive produce and reprise their roles as Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer, respectively.
The sequel will be set 20 years after the main series, with Brooke and Peyton mothers of their own teenagers.
Spoiler alert!
For those who follow the One Tree Hill cast closely, it will be easy to remember the false alert that occurred in 2018.
At the time, actors Hilarie Burton (Peyton Sawyer), Danneel Ackles (Rachel), Robert Buckley (Clay Evans) and Antwon Tanner (Antwon ‘Skills’ Taylor) got together for a project and decided to share several photos on social media.
The reunion soon caught the attention of the public, who believed it was some kind of revival of the series, although nothing official had been released by either party.
Shortly afterward, it was revealed that the project in question was a Christmas film entitled The Christmas Contract.
The plot of the production centered on Jolie (Hilarie Burton), whose ex-boyfriend, Foster (Hunter Burke), was with a new partner, someone Jolie wanted to avoid seeing at all costs during the end-of-year festivities.
To pretend that she has moved on, Jolie decides to hire Jack (Robert Buckley), the brother of her best friend Naomi (Danneel Ackles), to pretend to be her boyfriend during the holidays.
In addition to the stars mentioned above, actor Tyler Hilton, who played the character Chris Keller in the series, also made a musical appearance in the project.
Complications
One Tree Hill cast
During the reunion of part of the cast for the Christmas telefilm The Christmas Contract, fans became restless and once again raised the question as to why the reunion was not focused on One Tree Hill.
According to information published by TV Guide, the reason was even more complex than previously thought: the rights to the characters were held by Mark Schwahn, the show’s former showrunner.
In retrospect, in 2017 Mark was accused of harassment and sexual abuse by the show’s female cast.
This wasn’t the only time the topic of a possible One Tree Hill revival was raised. In 2022, Chad revealed that the cast is often asked about this subject.
He also said that he remains very close to his former on-screen colleagues. “We get asked all the time. I know I hear it a lot and I know Hilarie likes [the idea]. I see everyone at least once or twice a year.”
Ideas for a new version of the plot are also in the pipeline. “I have an idea that’s bouncing around in my head to do a new generation of this series, dealing with today’s problems. There are so many things that are so different now than they were in the early 2000s, so you can address issues related to young people and what they’re dealing with in high school today,” Chad pointed out.
According to him, the production wouldn’t need much to get off the ground. The only requirements would be the right crew, as well as the availability of all the main cast.
In this respect, Sophia Bush, who plays the character Brooke Davis, was also willing to embark on this adventure. “I can’t reveal all our secrets, but I’d say never say never. We’ve been talking about it forever, and the fans are so amazing, they keep the love for the series pulsating at full speed,” the actress told Entertainment Tonight.
You can check out the original series in the Prime Video catalog.
