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[t-storm]

Netflix has reached an agreement to resume production on “House of Cards” season 6 — the show’s final season — in early 2018, according to chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

Production of “House of Cards” season 6 was suspended in October, following sexual assault allegations against star Kevin Spacey.

Season 6 of the political thriller will be eight episodes, starring Robin Wright, Sarandos said. The final season will not include Spacey, as previously announced. Each of the previous season have comprised 13 episodes.

“We’re really excited about bringing some closure to the show for fans,” said Sarandos, speaking Monday at UBS’s Global Media and Communications Conference in New York.

“House of Cards,” the first major original show to pop for Netflix, is produced by Media Rights Capital (MRC) and is shot in Baltimore. Sarandos said he was gratified to have reached the deal for the team of 370 people who directly work on the show and for “the 2,000 people in Baltimore” who have jobs working on “HOC.”

Variety reported last month that “House of Cards” producers were contemplating killing off Spacey’s character — the devious political animal Frank Underwood — to focus on Wright’s Claire Underwood as a way to salvage season 6.

Last week MRC producers had informed “House of Cards” cast and crew that the hiatus on season 6 would be extended through Dec. 8 and that the crew will continue to be paid during the break. Now the pause on the production is extending into the new year.

Netflix is already a huge buyer of programming, and it’s jacking up the content budget for 2018 — projecting it will spend between $7 billion and $8 billion, up from $6 billion this year. The streamer’s content slate for next year includes around 80 original films through productions or acquisitions, Sarandos reiterated Monday, which he’d told investors on Netflix’s earnings call in October. One-third of all viewing on Netflix is of movies, he said.

For most movies, theatrical release is a “lousy business,” he said. “The question is, can you shake up the market enough for big event movies to be only on Netflix?” He said he’s hopeful theaters would screen a movie like “Bright,” the Will Smith cop movie directed by David Ayer set for Dec. 22 release, “because people want to go out on Friday night.”

Sarandos also said Netflix will expand animated feature films, potentially releasing four or five per year, and has 60 kids’ series in production along with 30 anime originals from Japan. In addition, Netflix will ramp up local-language productions, targeting 30 international scripted series around the world in 2018.

“We’ve been careful to not become a one-brand network. The way to do that is having a lot of variety, and executing in multiple genres at a high level,” Sarandos said, noting Netflix has made forays into unscripted shows and stand-up specials.

Netflix also is looking at developing “choose-your-own adventure” shows for adults, in which viewers make choices about the storyline, Sarandos said, after its debut of two interactive kids’ shows this summer, “Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale” and “Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile.”

Last week, Netflix renewed hit supernatural series “Stranger Things” for season 3 and David Fincher’s “Mindhunter” about FBI serial-killer profilers for season 2, while it cancelled “Haters Back Off” featuring YouTube’s Miranda Sings (created and played by Colleen Ballinger) after two seasons.

“The returning-series phenomenon is really exciting,” Sarandos said, adding, “Last year, there was zero anticipation of ‘Stranger Things'” before the show from the Duffer Brothers became a huge franchise.

For “The Crown,” the Queen Elizabeth II series whose first season reportedly had a $170 million budget, “almost all the press was about how much it cost,” Sarandos said. But in fact, he said, it’s “one of our most efficient shows” in terms of the number of people who have viewed the show and its ability to attract new subscribers, relative to its price tag. The second season of “The Crown” debuts Dec. 8.

Source

 

[EverydayBeast]

She can hold her own

 

[RCU005]

I don't think that their plans will change that much specially because of how last season ended. IMO, Kevin Spacey made the show, and without him, it will be invalidated. They need to make another season for closure as they said, but the show has been not as good since season 2 (specially last season).

 

[Sosokrates]

If spacey is not going to be in it, they should not even bother.

That show is kevin spacey.

 

[EverydayBeast]

If spacey is not going to be in it, they should not even bother.

That show is kevin spacey.

The show is Kevin Spacey more than ever now with how corrupt it is.

 

[t-storm]

Everyone wanted Frank to die anyway so I’m sure they can get creative to show that and give people what they want in the last season.

Also leaves a bit of room to develop story that can lead into a potential spinoff.

 

[darkinstinct]

If spacey is not going to be in it, they should not even bother.

That show is kevin spacey.

The show is Frank Underwood. They should just recast the role, as hard as that may be. The only reason to keep watching the last seasons was to finally see him fall to his doom. That heel turn of Claire over the last two seasons makes no sense when you watch the first two seasons.

 

[MisterFalcon]

I hope they Howard Holt it and Underwood just vanishes in a freak accident.

 

[Woo-Fu]

Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood is the only reason I've watched every episode of the show.

Is a good thing that everybody whose livelihood depends on the show has another season, of course, but I don't expect it to be worth watching in and of itself.

 

[Rocket Number 22]

She can hold her own

Heavens no, she is easily one of the worst parts of the show.....only Doug makes it worth watching.

 

[Bl@de]

Not interested. Kevin Spacey was the reason I love the show. But I wonder how they will explain his sudden exit. Hope they go the Poochie way.

 

[Damerman]

Im excited to see what they do. Claire’s charater was the most compelling to me... got tired of seeing frank and doug being evil for evil’s sake.

 

[Septy]

The show should have been 3 seasons long. They already spread it far too thinly. Now we wont even get to see Frank get his just desserts. They should recast, people will understand such a move.

 

[xStoyax]

Robin Wright's character Claire is the worst one on the show. Was hoping she woulda been killed off a long time ago. Now that she's the lead actress - the show is dead. I won't be watching

 

[Cpt Conifer]

All I can say is after five seasons, I hope they can do a better job than this:

 

[Grinchy]

They should start the season with some stock footage of Spacey driving in a car and then just cut to that car being T-boned on the road, flipping 10 times, and then exploding into a fireball with gruesome cries for help from inside. Then the show's opening plays.

 

[Flux]

The whole show has been: "Damnit Claire" for her terrible decision making and long drawn out stories with no payoff.

With the scandal, it was my time to duck out of the show anyhow.

 

[t-storm]

They should start the season with some stock footage of Spacey driving in a car and then just cut to that car being T-boned on the road, flipping 10 times, and then exploding into a fireball with gruesome cries for help from inside. Then the show's opening plays.

LOL.

That would be good.

 

[Teren_Kanan]

Holy hell Kevin Spacey IS House of Cards.

Hopefully this season is nothing more than a "closure" season, so it doesn't end on a complete cliff hanger. No way the cast can carry the show sans Spacey.

 

[Vicetrailia]

It's tough trying to act like they're excited about brining closure. Shows ruined.

 

[KonradLaw]

Good it's the last season. This show doesn't exist without Spacey. It's like making House without Laurie.

 

[d3vnull]

LOL.

That would be good.

No... no it wouldn't.

 

[wachie]

No... no it wouldn't.

12 rolls then?

 

[CD'S BAR]

Cool, I was hoping they'd try this for at least one season. Has potential to be good. I just hope they don't go out of their way to not reference Frank Underwood. This is a good mixup. Show was getting stagnant anyway.

 

[IISANDERII]

Going just by the story this was going to happen anyway!