Another brand-defining, Best Drama Emmy-winningHBOseries is coming to an end this Sunday whenSuccessionairs its finale.
She dismisses the notion that HBO may be adrift withSuccessioncoming to an end.
Writing for the new seasons ofThe Last of UsandWhite Lotusalso has stopped.
Francesca Orsi plus “Succession”, House of The Dragon", “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus"HBO
We were looking atThe Last Of Usfor some time in 2025.
AndThe White Lotuswas ideally looking to go in 2024 but theres some question about timing of the strike.
Season 2 of the show debuted in January 2022.
Zendaya in “Euphoria”Eddie Chen/HBO
For decades, HBO has been known for its close, longstanding relationships with creators.
So, are we in a sad time?
Are we feeling the stress and the the lack of collaboration at the moment?
The last couple of weeks have been mired in so much material that Im working on and getting through.
Im going to have responses to all this material they put in front of me.
And no, there is no possibility for a fifth season of the Emmy-winning series.
No, not at this point now, Orsi said.
I know there was some talk about spinoffs, but no, not at all.
As for that spinoff talk, its just that, talk.
Jesse, should he do a series again, I think it will be entirely original.
House of the Dragon:News AboutSeason 2, Possible Seasons 3, 4 … and Beyond?
We learned a lot from season one.
To be honest, we think that the audience will be just as pleased if not more so.
We havent been in production for too long but what Ive seen is pretty extraordinary, she said.
Filming has not been impacted by the writers strike.
Orsi elaborated on those reasons.
There was some question about the narrative shape of Season 2.
And then that also dictated how we would kick off Season 3.
It hasnt been finalized yet, its still under discussion, Orsi said about the length of the series.
George and Ryan are going to meet after the writers strike.
Is it four seasons?
I dont think from where I sit at this point will be any less than four.
But could be more.
MartinsDunk & Eggfantasy novellas.
A couple of weeks later, writing for the series was put on hold due to the writers strike.
The one known spinoff centers on Jon Snow, with Kit Harington attached to star and executive produce.
It also is in very early stages, Orsi said.
What happened after, surprised even his HBO executives.
We were excited about Season 1.
Orsi shared an amusing story about how she found out thatWhite Lotuswould go beyond the initial installment.
And we all were supposed to stay off technology that weekend.
But the finale came in so I was hiding behind a shrub watching it, she said.
At that point, he didnt know it was going to be Italy.
It wasnt until some location scouts around Europe that he settled on Italy.
Set in Thailand, the upcoming third season will follow those that are vacationing at a Wellness Spa there.
Its an exploration about spirituality versus the ego.
And its set against the Eastern religion.
I asked Orsi about her original reaction when she realized that she was getting pitched a zombie show.
Craig didnt lead with that.
But the producers already have teased more, bigger and more elaborate zombies next season.
Additionally, there will be a couple of new pieces of casting, which I cant get into.
But he and Neil have a good sense of what it is that hes going to be taking on.
Well be moving the show from Calgary to Vancouver, Orsi said.
Whether that lends itself to doing more [seasons], I dont know yet.
Im really proud of what we delivered for Season 2.
We couldnt be more happy about the launch.
its a really exciting show, an incredibly beautiful, sexy show, Orsi said.
And Lily-Rose Depp and Abel Tesfaye are really remarkable at the center of the show.
We did it in a low-fi model and it was much more shoot from the hip looser, faster.
Its invigorating to work in that sort of model.
So for that Im excited to see how the world responds to it.
Orsi also highlighted upcoming seriesThe Sympathizer, starring Downey Jr. in four (!)
HBO brass, including Orsi, just saw first edited footage from the new season.
Issa Lopez is unlike anybody Ive ever worked with in that shes a powerhouse.
Between her, Jodie Foster and another co-lead in Kali Reis, theyve really turned around something pretty powerful.
TheRealityof HBOsMovie Strategy
In 2020, Orsi also added HBO original movies to her purview.
It debuts May 29.
Orsi is a longtime theater buff.
Instead, she stayed in Los Angeles and followed the Hollywood path.
More on that in a bit.
Orsi hinted at a potential followup from the creator ofMare Of Easttown.
We are excited about the possibility of making something more with Brad Ingelsby, for instance, she said.
There is no update on HBOs long-gestatingParasiteseries, based on the Oscar-winning movie.
Thats not something thats exciting to us right now, Orsi said about revisiting another classic HBO title.
Wed rather find something totally original, new and un-derivative in terms of its world.
Six Feet Underespecially was one of the reasons why I decided to get in TV, she said.
Orsi had just taken the TV lit representation path when fate led her to another career change.
Then I read another piece by Carolyn Strauss, who was running HBO programming at the time.
And serendipitously, a desk opened up working for the Head of Drama at HBO.
Its interesting, isnt it, just in terms of the serendipitous nature of it?
