EXCLUSIVE: A new chapter of Prison Break has taken a major step towards becoming a reality at Hulu with a pilot pickup for the project from Mayans M.C. and The Outlaws co-creator Elgin James and 20th Television.
Details regarding the new installment’s plot are being kept under wraps, however, Deadline understands James’ version will be its own thing set within the same universe. As we previously reported, it is not expected to involve the characters at the center of the original series and its follow-up on Fox, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), and Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell).
James is executive producing under his Sierra Drive production banner, alongside four executive producers from the original series, Dawn Olmstead, who has been working closely with James throughout the development process, Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring, Marty Adelstein and Neal Moritz.
The pilot pickup comes a year after Deadline revealed exclusively that 20th TV was revisiting one of its legacy titles with a new take on Prison Break from James being set up at Hulu for development.
There have been encouraging updates since then, with Adelstein telling Deadline in July that “it’s going really well. The first script was really, really well done. They’ve given notes and it looks like it’s on its way.”
Additionally, the reboot got a boost from a Suits-like streaming resurgence for the original 2005 series, which returned to Netflix after a two-year break at the end of July for a limited, 18-month run. (All five seasons of Prison Break, remain available to stream on Hulu.)
The series, starring Miller and Purcell, immediately shot up, ranking as the #1 most streamed series in the US in August 2024 per Nielsen, leading the Top 10 Streaming Rankers during each week of the month (across both Netflix and Hulu). Over the first 10 months of the year, Prison Break has totaled nearly 200 Million hours of streaming, according to Nielsen, ranking among Top 10 acquired series during ten different weeks.
This marks a rare streaming hourlong drama pilot. Hulu previously did it with Death and Other Details, which went to series. The practice is more common on the half-hour side where Hulu recently piloted the multi-cam Mid-Century Modern, which also has been picked to to series, and YA dramedy Phony, which is casting.
Prison Break heralds James’ first high-profile project since the conclusion of FX’s Mayans M.C.—co-created with Kurt Sutter— in 2023, following 5 successful seasons, and the BBC/Prime Video series The Outlaws, co-created with The Office and Extras EP Stephen Merchant, which ended after 3 seasons earlier this year.
James wrote, directed and scored his debut film, Little Birds, starring Juno Temple and Leslie Mann. The film premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and won a National Board of Review Award. James also co-wrote Lowriders (2017) for Imagine Entertainment and Universal Pictures.
Sources reveal that fans of the writer, director and producer should not be surprised to see talent he has previously collaborated with in the past pop up on Prison Break. Casting has yet to begin on the project.
He is repped by WME, Hunting Lane and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
English (US) ·