"Glee", the Emmy-winning US musical comedy-drama about a high school choir, is set to return, with co-creator Ryan Murphy confirming that he has written a reboot script with collaborators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, reports BBC.
The series, which followed the lives of choir members at the fictional McKinley High School in Ohio, premiered on Fox in 2009 and ran for six seasons until 2015.
The original cast included Lea Michele, Amber Riley, the late Cory Monteith, Jane Lynch and Matthew Morrison, who played Will Schuester, the optimistic teacher leading the school's glee club, New Directions.
Disney and Hulu announced the reboot yesterday (21 October) through the show's social media team.
"Glee" became a major hit for its blend of humour, music and emotional storytelling, addressing issues including sexuality, race, disability and mental health. The show portrayed how the choir helped students who felt like outsiders find their voices through music and dance.
Lynch played Sue Sylvester, the club's antagonist and a ruthless cheerleading coach. The show's covers of songs such as "Don't Stop Believin'", "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Smooth Criminal" also introduced classic hits to younger audiences.
In 2010, the series inspired a concert tour that was later made into a film. Around the same time, the cast surpassed The Beatles as the non-solo act with the most appearances on the Billboard Hot 100.
Murphy contacts original cast members
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Murphy said he had written the reboot script with Falchuk and Brennan and had been in touch with around 10 members of the original cast.
"They all had a lot of questions but they all were very enthusiastic about the idea," Murphy said, adding that none of them had read the script yet.
He said he wanted to write a few episodes to gauge the response, particularly from the cast, with whom he had developed close relationships while making the original series.
Lea Michele, who played ambitious singer Rachel Berry, has also expressed interest in returning.
"I will always love Glee," Michele told E! News. "I love Ryan Murphy. It just holds such a special place in my heart for me... I will follow Ryan wherever he goes."
Chris Colfer, who portrayed Kurt Hummel, said a revival would be difficult following the death of Naya Rivera, who played fan-favourite Santana Lopez.
Speaking to Bustle, Colfer said it would be hard to return to the show without Rivera, but acknowledged that fans would strongly welcome a reboot.
Rivera died in an accidental drowning in 2020 at the age of 33. She was the third member of the cast to die.
Monteith, who played football star-turned-singer Finn Hudson, died in 2013 at the age of 31 from a toxic combination of alcohol and heroin.
Mark Salling, another cast member, died by suicide in 2018 at the age of 35 while awaiting sentencing on child pornography charges.
Cast reunions fuel excitement
Talk of the reboot comes amid recent reunions among the show's former stars.
On Wednesday, Max George of The Wanted, who appeared in the sixth season, told BBC Scotland that working on the series had been "an amazing experience" and that he would "love to do it again".
George said he had messaged the casting director after the reboot announcement. He also said the more than 10-year gap made the timing appropriate, adding that he expected Murphy to develop something exceptional.
A mini reunion took place on Sunday at London's Royal Albert Hall, where Darren Criss, who played Blaine Anderson, brought Colfer on stage for a duet of "Baby It's Cold Outside".
Earlier this month, former co-stars Harry Shum Jr and Amber Riley reunited on "Dancing with the Stars".