It’s time to journey back to Tree Hill in North Carolina. A sequel series to the hit TV show One Tree Hill is in the works at Netflix, according to multiple outlets. The reboot of the beloved teen drama will be executive produced by three of the show’s stars: Sophia Bush (who played Brooke Davis), Hilarie Burton (Peyton Sawyer) and Danneel Ackles (Rachel Scott), per Variety. Sophia and Hilarie are reportedly confirmed to reprise their roles, while Daneel is in talks to do so, per Deadline.
In addition to the returning cast, Daneel’s husband and Supernatural alum Jensen Ackles will join his wife as an executive producer through their production company Chaos Machine. Becky Hartman-Edwards—known for writing and producing shows like Firefly Lane, Parenthood and In Living Color—is set to write and executive produce the upcoming series, according to Variety.
“The sequel is said to take place 20 years later,” according to Deadline, “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.”
One Tree Hill premiered in 2003 and ran for nine seasons before the series finale in 2012. The CW drama made household names out of the show’s cast, including Chad Michael Murray (who married Sophia in 2005 and divorced the following year), though he has no plans to return for the sequel, per Deadline.
Netflix declined to comment when contacted by E! News.
In January, Sophia—who cohosts the Drama Queens podcast with fellow One Tree Hill alums Hilarie and Bethany Joy Lenz—spoke to E! News about rumors that a reboot of the show was already in the works.
“Everybody wants to know,” Sophia said. “I think for a long time our answer on that was a firm ‘no.’ We were really ready to put it to bed. I don’t have an answer for you, but things change over time.”
She did, however, have thoughts on where her character Brooke Davis might be today.
“I always joke that I think Brooke Davis running for class president really changed the whole trajectory of her life,” she continued. “I’d like to see her in elected office, I’d really like to see her delivering an impassioned rant about what people deserve, I think that would really be up her alley.”
The news of the sequel series arrived a few short months after the Tree Hill Ravens reunited for a charity basketball game in May at the gym where many of the show’s basketball game scenes were filmed.
“Just being back in this gym in particular where we actually shot the show and being with all the guys who originally played on the Ravens basketball team, it’s surreal and it’s wonderful,” James Lafferty, who played Nathan Scott, told E! News at the charity event. “Some of these guys, I haven’t seen for a very long time. Some of them I have. But to have all of us together again, it’s incredible. It’s a gift.”
Read on to see more One Tree Hill reunion moments over the years.
20th Anniversary Reunion
Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, Danneel Ackles, Bevin Prince, Stephen Colletti, Austin Nichols, Matt Barr and more stars ofreunited for a 20th anniversary celebration thrown by FWB Charity Events in November 2023.
Old Friends
“Got to hang out with some great humans this weekend,” Austin wrote in November 2023. “Old friends. Old stories. Lots of laughs. And made a bunch of new friends. Thank you to everyone who made this happen!”
Michael Trucco and James Lafferty photoshopped a sign to pay tribute to the show. “Sign seems legit,” Michael wrote. “Always a good day when I get to spend time catching up with my buddy/nephew.”
James Lafferty and Bryan Greenberg had a mini One Tree Hill reunion and were joined by Jamie Chung and Alexandra Park.
As Hilarie shared, these three will always be there for another, through “thick and thin.”
Fans were loving this reunion, including Kristin Cavallari, who commented a heart on the post.
Hilarie and Robert give the camera a cheeky look in this selfie.
It’s safe to say these former cast mates will be BFFs.
Clearly, someone cannot contain their excitement over this reunion.
Throughout the many seasons of One Tree Hill, fans got to know and love many a character, including Michael Trucco’s Cooper. As die-hard fans will recall, the conniving Rachel seduced Cooper and tricked him into thinking she was having his baby in the second season. The gig was up, however, when they both got in a car accident and she had to confess she lied about the whole thing, thus leading to Cooper’s exit.
Hilarie poses with the famous Angel of Death character that used to plague her.
A New Chapter in Tree Hill
The news of the sequel series comes with a lot of excitement for fans, especially since Hilarie and Sophia continue to share their “One Tree Hill” memories through their Drama Queens podcast. However, the sequel also brings up some past controversy surrounding the show. Mark Schwahn, creator of the series, was accused by numerous women who worked on the show of harassment and abuse in 2017. Though no official statement has been made, the sequel being spearheaded by Bush and Burton is seen as a way to reclaim the show, removing the original creator from any involvement.
Fans of “One Tree Hill” can likely expect to see how the characters have changed over the past two decades and what kinds of new challenges they will face. The cast of characters who were teens and young adults in the original series now have teenagers of their own, and their lives have taken many turns. Will the show delve into how these characters have changed? Will there be room for new characters? With the show’s long history and dedication to exploring the intricacies of relationships, it will be interesting to see how the reboot adapts to these new changes and what it will reveal about the characters we’ve grown to love.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see how the sequel series unfolds. But one thing is for sure: “One Tree Hill” is back, and fans are eager to see what the future holds for Brooke, Peyton and the rest of the gang.
