Netflix is ​​working on a follow-up series to One Tree Hill

The long-awaited sequel series One Tree Hill is getting closer to a reboot on Netflix. Original actors Sophia Bush (pictured, left) and Hilarie Burton (pictured, right) are set to produce and reprise their roles of Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer, respectively, in the follow-up series from writer/executive producer Becky Hartman Edwards and Warner Bros. TV, which is currently in development at the streamer.



Jensen Ackles and Danneel Ackles are also executive producing through their Chaos Machine production company, with the latter in talks to return as Rachel Scott. Emily Moss Wilson is producer.

Created by Mark Schwahn, One Tree Hill premiered in 2003 and ran for nine seasons on The WB and its successor The CW. The sequel is reportedly set 20 years later and follows best friends Brooke and Peyton who are now parents to teenagers and face challenges not unfamiliar to those they faced in the original series, such as love, insecurities and heartache.

The coming-of-age drama also starred Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Bethany Joy Lenz, Austin Nichols, Antwon Tanner and Paul Johansson. Sources say there have been informal conversations with other members of the ensemble cast. Bush and Burton are the only ones set in stone so far, but formal approaches from others are expected if the series gets the green light. Murray, who played Lucas Scott for six seasons and returned as a guest star in season nine, has no plans to return for the sequel.

Representatives for Netflix and WBTV declined to comment for this story.

Netflix previously revived another signature WBTV series that ran on the WB and CW, Gilmore Girls, where Murray had a breakout role before landing a lead role in One Tree Hill.

Set in a fictional town in North Carolina, One Tree Hill begins as a story about two half-brothers, Lucas (Murray) and Nathan (Lafferty), with a strained relationship who are forced to attend high school together.

As the series progressed, the story began to follow all the friendships, romance, heartbreak, and familial tensions in Tree Hill, through the lens of the teens. Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer and Haley James Scott (Lenz) often wrote the storyline.

One Tree Hill creator Schwahn, who served as executive producer and showrunner of the original series, is not involved in the sequel. In 2017, a number of female cast and crew members from One Tree Hill, including Bush and Burton, spoke out and accused him of sexual harassment. The sequel, with the duo as the leading actresses, represents the women of One Tree Hill reclaiming the series.

Peyton and Brooke are childhood best friends who become more like sisters throughout the series. Their relationship is put through the wringer as they overcome all kinds of obstacles, especially 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 in their senior year.

Ultimately, Peyton marries Lucas and Brooke falls in love with Julian (Austin Nichols), with whom she has twins, Davis and Jude, characters who, according to the series synopsis, will return as teenagers in the new series.

Danneel Ackles also played the role of Rachel Gatina for several seasons, initially as Brooke's antagonist, but they later developed a friendship that led Rachel to become part of the group.

Burton and Bush also host a One Tree Hill throwback podcast with co-star Lenz, 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 (Alex Dupre in the series), who participated in their most recent episode. Burton recently retired from the podcast and Robert Buckley, who appeared as Clay Evans, has taken over.