Ryan Murphy has been thinking about bringing Glee back for a while, and on October 21 he made it official: Disney+ and Hulu have ordered a new series, 17 years after the original show premiered and 11 years after its finale.
Where the idea came from
Murphy pointed to the show's unexpected second life on social media as the spark. 'That show is interesting because it's come back around,' he told People back in July. 'So many young people now watch it. And I'm like, maybe we should revisit that show. My nostalgia and love for that show is enough that I'm like, well, maybe people would like to see a new incarnation of that in some capacity.' By September, he confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that a script already existed, co-written with original series writers Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.
Who might be back
The original Glee cast included Lea Michele, Kevin McHale, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Jane Lynch, Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz, Dianna Agron, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Mark Salling, Jonathan Groff, Chord Overstreet, and Harry Shum Jr., alongside Cory Monteith and Naya Rivera, who died in 2013 and 2020 respectively. Murphy said he has already been in touch with roughly ten original cast members, describing them as enthusiastic even with plenty of questions.
Hours after the announcement, Variety reported that Michele is attached to return, with one source telling the outlet simply, 'She's in.' Morris appeared to confirm her own return with an Instagram post referencing her character, Brittany S. Pierce, saying she had been lost in the sewers all these years but was alive, well, and back for more Glee. Overstreet and McHale both hinted at their own involvement online, though Murphy has not formally confirmed any casting.
Not everyone was sure they would say yes
Cast reactions to a potential reboot have been mixed over the years. Michele told E! News in September that she would follow Murphy into an expanded Glee universe without hesitation, citing how much the show still means to her. Colfer was more cautious, telling Bustle earlier this month that the show was difficult to make even the first time, and would be especially hard now that Rivera is gone, while acknowledging fans would likely be upset if he turned the opportunity down. Lynch, for her part, told Entertainment Tonight she would return in a heartbeat.
