Fans ofThe OA, I’m sorry to do this to you but it looks like any chance of closure on this suddenly-canceled series is a no-go. This week, it was confirmed Netflix and series creatorsBrit MarlingandZal Batmanglijhave opted to not move forward with a wrap-up movie forThe OA.
According toVariety, the option for a wrap-up movie was on the table up until earlier this week in the wake of widespread fan protests and coordinated efforts to getThe OAback on the air. The series, whose cast included Marling,Jason Isaacs,Emory Cohen,The Office’sPhyllis Smith,Alice Krige, andPaz Vega, wascanceled after two seasonsby the streaming giant in August. The series followed a young woman named Prairie (Marling), who returns home after disappearing years earlier and begins to exhibit otherworldly knowledge and abilities.
The wrap-up movie was intended to give some closure to the series after season 2’s truly surreal finale involving world-hopping and a big ol' octopus. The movie would likely not have done much justice for Marling and Batmanglij’s five-season vision forThe OA’s story but it would have offered up some amount of closure to fans who had ardently followed the series since it premiered on Netflix in 2016. Further dashing any hopes ofThe OAsomehow being saved is Variety’s confirmation the cast have all been released from their contracts. It’s unlikely the series will be picked up by another network since Netflix is a producer.
In the wake ofThe OA’s cancellation, Marling took toher Instagramto offer up a sweet thank-you to all of the fans, writing,
“Your words and images move us deeply. Not because the show must continue, but because for some people its unexpected cancellation begs larger questions about the role of storytelling and its fate inside late capitalism’s push toward consolidation and economies of scale.”
If you’re curious to know more about how exactlyThe OAended, check out ourseason 2 finale explainer.The OAseasons 1 and 2 are available to stream now on Netflix.
