Actress Hilarie Burton Reveals: Will the One Tree Hill Sequel Series Embrace a Feminist Perspective?
One Tree Hill alum Hilarie Burton is teaming up with former co-star Sophia Bush to produce and star in the show’s reboot. Speaking to PEOPLE, the latter teased that the sequel is vastly different from the original and opened up about the behind-the-scenes experiences of curating the story, which will highlight a feminist perspective.
Burton added that “being able to work with a team of women and look at these stories [and] these characters through a female lens” was on her checklist for a long time. Whether it would’ve been a reboot or a sequel, she always had a similar vision, which she stuck with throughout the creative process of the upcoming show. “At this phase in my life, female teamwork is something that is so vital to me,” she added.
The Walking Dead actress noted how everything that brought success into her life was somehow connected to a feminine strength at the core. “So I’m excited to be able to team up with people that I look up to, people that I love dearly,” she said.
Entertainment Weekly confirmed in August that the One Tree Hill sequel series — which has found its home on the streaming platform Netflix — will see Burton, Bush, and Danneel Ackles reprise their characters. This series comes into existence nearly seven years after the scandal, which involved the female cast and crew, including Burton, Bush, Ackles, and 18 others of the original show, uniting against creator Mark Schwahn for physically and emotionally abusing them.
Although he never publicly addressed the allegations, he was removed as showrunner of E!’s The Royals in 2017.
Despite the controversies surrounding the show, the reboot announcement received a warm reception from fans, which Burton was thrilled about. “The nicest thing is seeing the positive fan reaction to it and all of our friends from the show commenting on posts and just getting to show enthusiasm,” she told the outlet.