Netflix recently revealed that the seventh season of Orange Is The New Black would be its last, and less than a month later, Lionsgate Television (which produces the show and licenses the prison dramedy to the streaming giant) is already working on a ideas for a sequel series. This may not be surprising, since OITNB wasn’t the first Netflix original series (that would be House of Cards), but it was one of the first shows to stream exclusively on Netflix and arguably enticed many viewers to sign up for Netfix’s offerings. And while OITNB‘s appeal has waxed and waned over the seasons, its popularity has allowed it to endure with a jumping-off point for more.
The Hollywood Reporter confirms that producers of the Jenji Kohan-created series are indeed kicking around followup ideas for the Litchfield universe, according to Lionsgate TV Group chairman Kevin Beggs:
“We’re really proud of the long run that Orange Is the New Black had. It remains one of Netflix’s most-watched shows. We’re ending on a high note. Keep in mind we own that series and will be distributing it for years to come. We’re already in discussions and, when the timing is right, we’ll talk further with Jenji about a potential sequel.”
Of course, Beggs did clarify that there’s no sequel in any stage of production at this time, but the studio is actively pursuing preliminary steps. And since this sequel is only in infancy-idea stages, there’s no word on whether this effort might spinoff one or more of the characters (many of whom likely hung around the show for far longer than their prison sentences would have been) from the original ensemble. We do know that Piper Chapman is finally out, and given that a significant chunk of the OITNB audience couldn’t stand her, there’s surely no way that she’d be making an appearance. Whew.
(Via Hollywood Reporter)
