Hilarie Burton is sharing some details about the female-fronted One Tree Hill reboot. It was previously announced that she and Sophia Bush were working on a new reboot of the beloved WB/CW drama and reprising their fan-favorite characters, Peyton and Brooke, respectively. Due to a more than unpleasant experience on OTH with creator Mark Schwan, who’s been accused of sexual harassment by Burton, Bush, and other cast members.
Burton expressed her interest in working with a team led by females with People, saying, “What I can say is that this go-around, being able to work with a team of women and look at these stories [and] these characters through a female lens is something that — whether I was doing a reboot or a brand new show or a different movie at this phase in my life, female teamwork is something that is so vital to me.”
“It is the core of anything I’ve done that’s successful. So I’m excited to be able to team up with people that I look up to, people that I love dearly,” Burton continued. Her words are on par with what Bush said earlier this year about doing a potential reboot. She told E! News that she and the girls wanted to “reclaim” the show after what they had went through on the original series, wondering what a “feminist reclamation” of One Tree Hill would look like. Bush, Burton, and Bethany Joy Lenz are hosts of the Drama Queens rewatch podcast, so they’ve likely had a lot of time to think about it. Burton ducked out of the podcast when it came time to rewatch Season 7 since she and Chad Michael Murray left in the Season 6 finale. Robert Buckley, who played Clay, has taken over her spot.
Hilarie Burton also shared that the “stories” she wants to tell in this “phase” of her life “are very different than when I was 20.” Exact plot details of the reboot are unknown, as well as who else might be returning. Danneel and Jensen Ackles’ Chaos Machine will be producing the series, with Danneel possibly returning as Rachel Gatina. Fans will just have to wait and see what happens when the reboot eventually comes to Netflix. It’s still in early development, so things could always change. In the meantime, fans can watch the original series on Hulu.