Who might (and might not) return for the new Netflix One Tree Hill series?

Who's ready to go back to One Tree Hill? There's a wide range of actors who could return for the revival of the beloved teen drama!

Premiering on the WB in 2003, One Tree Hill told the story of half-brothers Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty), who come together after years apart and balance between being rivals and allies. The cast also had some breakout turns from Sophia Bush as Brooke Davis, Hillarie Burton as Peyton Sawyer, and Bethany Joy Lenz as Haley James, to name a few.

The show moved to the CW in season 4 with season 5 doing a five-year "time jump" to move the characters from high school to adulthood. There were various cast turnovers before the series finally ended in 2012 after nine seasons and 187 episodes.

OTH has remained popular over the years with the show streaming on Netflix and Hulu. Bush, Burton, and Joy Lenz remain friends to the point they've done a podcast together reflecting on the series. Now, at last, it appears the revival fans have dreamed of for years is happening, courtesy of Netflix, with Bush and Burton breaking the news in Instagram posts. 

"What if you really can go back home? If there's an opportunity to team with brilliant creatives and build a space where all our friends can show off their talents? Own our history? Reclaim our turf? Honor our fans? Sign us up. There's only one Tree Hill, after all. And you — the #OTHfam — have shown us that it's not just an idea. It really is the place where everything's better and everything's safe," Burton wrote confirming the news.

The comments may be a veiled reference to Mark Schwann, the show's original creator who, since it ended, has been called out by Bush, Burton, and more on sexual harassment allegations. Per TV Line, he won't be involved in this Netflix continuation, with Becky Hartman Edwards as head writer.

Who's likely to return for the One Tree Hill revival?

According to Deadline, the show picks up with Peyton and Brooke back in Tree Hill, now parents to teenagers and handling their daughters getting into the same issues they once had. Both Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton are confirmed to return, but who else in the original cast could return?

One name that already seems likely to come back is Danielle Harris. Deadline says the actress hopes to reprise her role as Rachel Gatina, Brooke's former "bad girl" rival. Last seen dumped and divorced in Season 7, it'd be interesting to see how she's changed. 

It appears a no-brainer that Lenz will take part, as it's hard to see OTH without Haley, and she's already close to Bush and Burton on their podcast. That makes it just as likely James Lafferty would return as Nathan and be nice to see this beloved couple back handling a new life in the town. It also seems hopeful that Austin Nichols could return as Brooke's husband, Julian, and it'd be wonderful to see them raising their kids. 

There's a question on Shantel VanSanten, who joined in season 7 as Haley's sister, Quinn. The actress is currently starring in FBI: Most Wanted, so she's unlikely to come on full-time, although it's possible she could make a brief cameo in some way. Likewise, it's unclear if Robert Buckley would appear as Quinn's husband, Clay, although it'd make sense if Clay is in the show more to offset Quinn's absence.

It's also possible we get some other original cast members in the mix like Barbara Alyn Wood as Lucas' mom, Deb, and perhaps Antwon Tanner pops in as "Skills."

Who likely won't be back for the One Tree Hill revival

One major name is all but confirmed not to return in Chad Michael Murray. This isn't too big a shock as Murray and Bush were married in 2005, only to divorce months later, with Bush accusing Murray of cheating on her. They managed to work together on the show for a few more years, but Bush has famously been less than cordial about Murray since. Thus, it's possible a plot point may be that either Peyton and Lucas got divorced or Lucas even killed off. 

An obvious plot point would be focusing on Haley and Nathan's now grown son, Jamie, who, at the end of the series, was following in his dad's footsteps as a basketball star. However, Jackson Brundage, who played the role, retired from acting in 2015. Thus, they'd either need to recast the part or just not use Jamie at all (maybe he's having a busy NBA career). 

Also unlikely to return is goofy sports announcer Marvin "Mouth" McFadden and Brooke's former assistant Millicent Huxtable, as Lee Norris and Lisa Goldstein have stepped away from acting in the last several years.

It's likely the series will be much like the CW's 90210 reboot in that we have some faces from the original OTH with a focus on a fresh batch of characters. However, with the possibility of some past stars returning, fans are hopeful the return of the beloved drama will be as great as the original show was. 

One Tree Hill seasons 1-9 are streaming on Hulu and Max.