Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton on ‘One Tree Hill’ Netflix reboot: A chance to honor fans

Over a decade since the final episode of “One Tree Hill” aired, Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton are headed back to where “everything’s better and everything’s safe.”

On Friday, Deadline and Variety reported that a “One Tree Hill” sequel series is in the works at Netflix with Bush and Burton expected to reprise their roles as onscreen BFFs, Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer.

As reports emerged of the reboot, Bush and Burton posted an Instagram photo Friday evening with former co-stars Danneel Ackles (Rachel Gatina) and Bevin Prince (Bevin Mirskey), seemingly confirming the news.

Their caption read: “What if you really can go back home? If there’s an opportunity to team with brilliant creatives and build a space where all our friends can show off their talents? Own our history? Reclaim our turf? Honor our fans? Sign us up.”

“There’s only one Tree Hill, after all,” Bush and Burton’s posts continued. “And you — the #OTHfam — have shown us that it’s not just an idea. It really is the place where ‘everything’s better and everything’s safe.'”

Bush also confirmed the reports in the comments section. “We can’t (wait) either?! (Though it took 3 years for this to get leaked so I guess we are actually V good at waiting),” she wrote.

Created by Mark Schwahn, “One Tree Hill” ran for nine seasons on The WB network and later its successor, the CW. The coming-of-age hit show starred Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Bethany Joy Lenz, Paul Johansson, Antwon Tanner and Lee Norris. (In 2017, Schwahn was accused of assault and harassment by Burton and Bush.)

Bush, Burton and Ackles will be executive producers on the reboot, per Variety and Deadline. No other cast announcements were shared, but Deadline reports that Murray − who was briefly married to Bush in 2005 − has “no plans to return for the follow-up.”

Murray, who played the troubled bibliophile and basketball star Lucas Scott, has been busy filming “Freaky Friday 2” with Lindsay Lohan. The sequel is slated for a 2025 release.

This isn’t the first time former “One Tree Hill” cast members reunite.

Bush, Burton and Lenz have co-hosted the show’s rewatch podcast “Drama Queens” and have welcomed special guests from the show, including Jana Kramer, Daphne Zuniga, Cullen Moss and Paul Johansson. Burton recently stepped down from co-hosting duties after Season 6, which marks when Peyton left Tree Hill.

“We have reached the end of my behind-the-scenes experience on the show, and so I really started to question what I brought to this, but also how we keep that storytelling alive and important,” Burton said during one of her final episodes on the podcast. “And so as we head into seasons seven through nine, it was important that we introduced a new queen who could take over for me.”

Robert Buckley, who joined the show in Season 7, is now hosting the podcast alongside Bush and Lenz.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton say ‘One Tree Hill’ Netflix reboot is a chance to ‘honor our fans’

Source: USA TODAY, Deadline, Variety