Ever since the news broke that One Tree Hill alums Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton Morgan and Danneel Ackles were developing a sequel series to the beloved teen drama, fans have been clamoring for more details on the plot of the reboot and what other fan-favorite characters will be returning — and crossing their fingers to see Jana Kramer’s Alex Dupre.
While Kramer’s character never crossed paths with Burton Morgan’s character, Peyton Sawyer (Burton Morgan, 42, left the cast after season 6, while Kramer, 40, joined in season 7), fans think the two might get along in the sequel series.
“When I spoke to Hilarie about this,” Kramer said on an Instagram Story posted September 5, responding to fans who were asking about the revival. “Our characters obviously have never met. So, we thought it could be really fun to have them meet. So, we’ll see.”
Kramer went on to create a poll on Instagram asking fans if they thought the two characters would jive. An overwhelming majority, 73 percent, said, “Oh for sure.”
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As for Kramer? She says, “Maybe.”
“It depends where Alex is at, and that’s up to them whether we come back or not,” Kramer told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting her partnership with Orgain. “We’ve briefly talked about it, so it would just depend where she’s at in her journey, like, if she’s on the self love discovery [track], or if she’s still a massive trainwreck, I don’t know. So that’s TBD.”
If it were up to Kramer, she says she thinks Alex “is killing it.”
After joining the cast in season seven, Kramer’s character, Alex, caused trouble in more than one relationship in Tree Hill. Dealing with alcoholism, self image issues and chaotic behavior, the model definitely upped the ante on One Tree Hill — but her character also experienced major growth over the seasons.
Fourteen years after the CW show concluded, a whole new generation of fans are still discovering the world of One Tree Hill on streaming platforms, and Kramer loves the renewed interest in the series.
“There are people that come up to me, kids that are 14, 15, just watching the show now, and I think there’s so many people that can relate for their own personal reasons,” she said.
Following the show’s conclusion, One Tree Hill cast members, including Bush, Burton Morgan and Lenz, accused show creator Mark Schwahn of inappropriate behavior during their time on set. In confirming the sequel series is in development, Bush noted that it will be a chance for the women to “own our history” and “reclaim our turf.” Kramer agrees.
“The fact that now, Sophia and Hilarie are able to take control and change the energy and the ending of how things went down for everyone involved, I think, is a really positive thing,” Kramer told Us.
She also added that while people often hate on reboots, she thinks that the new show will bring many fans joy and hope, while also allowing them to keep up with beloved characters.
“Reboots are a thing where people love seeing where characters go,” she said. “As much as people can hate on And Just Like That…, I love Sex and the City. I’ll watch until the show ends. I just love that show. I love following along with characters and seeing where they go. I love any show that people can relate to and can help them have hope.”
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Bush confirmed on the Thursday, September 19, episode of “Drama Queens” podcast that the OTH revival isn’t a done deal yet. “It’s been in development for some time,” the Brooke Davis actress said. “The experiences we’ve had with the fans who’ve continually asked the coolest questions and made us think about where our whole ragtag gang of humans would be at this point, that has prompted the ideas. So I think that’s all I can say on this podcast, but I do hope we have exciting updates and I hope we get great news and we have a big announcement.”
The sequel series is in development at Netflix with the support of Danneel and husband Jensen Ackles’ Chaos Machine Productions. Director Emily Wilson (who worked with several OTH alums on Lifetime movies) is a producer on the project.
