It sounds like Netflix is looking to turn “Adolescence” into an anthology.
Brad Pitt‘s production company, Plan B Entertainment, has confirmed that a follow-up season to “Adolescence” is now in the works. There are now talks with director Philip Barantini about the “next iteration” of the show, which starred and was co-created by Stephen Graham.
Producers are currently working on how they can “widen the aperture, stay true to its DNA, [and] not be repetitive,” but story details are firmly being kept under lock and key.
“Phil’s style of doing the episodes in one take is not a gimmick. It’s very much in conversation with the subject matter,” Gardner said. “In early conversations with Stephen and Jack, they were talking about how it’s too easy to look away. You can look away from the school, you can look away from the police station, you can look away from the counseling, you can look away from the family. In that kind of prismatic way of viewing, you can duck the issue. So our theory was, what would happen if you couldn’t look away? And will that make the subject embed in you in a different way? That was a thrilling thing.”
Barantini’s “Adolescence” has been a sensation on streaming. The show now sits in fourth place on Netflix’s Most Popular English-Language TV list, amassing 115M views since its March 13 release. It’s predicted to hit the top 3 in the coming weeks. It’s become the type of cultural event that’s had everyone talking about it.
The show, which has earned raves from audiences and critics, is a four-episode story tackling a 13-year-old boy who is accused of the murder of a classmate. The ambiguous story delves deep into the crime, the boy’s family, his therapist and the detective in charge. Oh, and each episode was shot as one long continuous take. It’s ambitious stuff, but you’re consistently glued to your seat.
The way it ended was solemnly satisfying. There was no need to expand on the characters. I gather that the best way forward would be to tell another story, tackling, in Gardener’s words, “male violence.” Keeping in the spirit of the first season, each episode will probably be shot in one long continuous take.