Hulu Brings Back ‘Prison Break’ with Official Reboot Approval: Here Are The Details

Hulu has officially given the green light to a new Prison Break series, expanding the universe of the hit Fox drama.

The reboot is being developed by Elgin James, who previously worked on the pilot that has now been picked up for full series production.

This new version follows an ex-soldier who becomes a corrections officer at one of America’s most dangerous prisons.

Her mission is personal: she wants to prove just how far she will go to protect someone she loves. Emily Browning stars as Cassidy, with Drake Rodger playing Tommy, Lukas Gage as Jackson, Clayton Cardenas as Michael “Ghost,” JR Bourne as Junior, Georgie Flores as Andrea, and Myles Bullock as Darius “Red.”

According to sources, James’ reboot is set in the same world as the original Prison Break, but it will focus on new characters and storylines.

The series is not expected to feature the original leads, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell). The project was first announced in late 2023 and moved to pilot production in December of that year. The pilot also included Priscilla Delgado, Ray McKinnon, Margo Martindale, Donal Logue, Lili Taylor, and Sylvester Powell.

The original Prison Break, created by Paul Scheuring for Fox, followed brothers Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield. Lincoln is sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, while Michael devises an elaborate plan to break him out of prison. The show was produced by Scheuring along with Matt Olmstead, Kevin Hooks, Marty Adelstein, Dawn Parouse, Neal H. Moritz, and Brett Ratner, who directed the pilot. Its theme song, composed by Ramin Djawadi, received a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2006.

Originally, Fox passed on the series in 2003, questioning its long-term viability. After seeing the success of serialized shows like 24 and Lost, Fox decided to back the series in 2004. The first season was highly popular, leading to an extension from 13 episodes to 22.

The show maintained strong ratings through subsequent seasons, though some critics felt it overstayed its welcome. Prison Break earned multiple nominations, including a Golden Globe for Best Television Series Drama in 2005, and won the 2006 People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama.

The original series also spawned several spin-offs and tie-ins, including a mobile game, webisodes, a magazine, and a novel. Its fourth season concluded with two extra episodes turned into the standalone feature The Final Break, released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2009.

A fifth season premiered in 2017, and although a sixth season was reportedly in early development in 2018, Fox announced in 2019 that there were no plans to revive the show further. Wentworth Miller later confirmed in 2020 that he had no plans to return.

This new Hulu reboot aims to bring fresh characters and storylines to the Prison Break universe while maintaining the high-stakes tension that made the original series so popular.

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