The OA Star Jason Isaacs Reveals Original Five Season Plan Before Surprise Netflix Cancellation

Although Netflix has been known to cancel its boldest original shows after a couple of seasons, fans of sci-fi series The OA still have yet to accept the streamer’s decision regarding the program’s future. Netflix axed The OA following the release of Season 2, which concluded with a monumental cliffhanger that would change the entire series going forward. Fans have attempted to save the series by launching petitions online, picketing outside Netflix offices, and even going on hunger strikes. Nothing has changed the streaming giant’s mind so far, which is made even more disappointing with the revelation that the creators had five entire seasons planned out.

Jason Isaacs recently sat down with Collider to talk about his role in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and he was asked at one point about his time with The OA. Like the rest of the cast and crew, Isaacs remains frustrated by its cancellation, especially after he was let in on the show’s future plans.

“Yeah, they mapped out all five seasons, when they pitched it, originally,” said Isaacs. “They wrote the whole first season on spec, and it took two years to write it. I think that’s why the show had such a clearly unique voice. It was Zal [Batmanglij] and Brit [Marling], with nobody’s interference. You know that old saying, ‘A camel is a horse made by a committee.’ It’s so much their voice. It resonated so much with their humanity, their authenticity, their beauty, and their desire for human connection. That’s why it’s touched so many people, so profoundly. That’s why there’s such a big movement now. There have been flash mobs outside of Netflix’s headquarters. The Save The OA people have taken a billboard in Times Square. I wouldn’t want their job. I don’t know what they base their decisions on. I respect them and I admire them for commissioning it, in the first place, and I’m so grateful that we got to make two seasons.

“But yeah, I knew exactly where the third season was going to go, and it’s utterly brilliant. When they told me the end of Season 2, I went, ‘Wait, guys, are you actually sure? That sounds nuts to me. What can you possibly do afterwards?’ So, they sat me down and told me, and 15 minutes later, my jaw was hanging open. I just couldn’t wait to get started making it. And now, it looks like we won’t be making it. I’m sad, not just for the fans, but for me, because I was at the front of the line. I’m such a huge fan of the show. I’m dying to see the rest of the seasons because I know they happened in their heads, and I so enjoyed and was moved by the first two.”

Are you still disappointed by the cancellation of The OA? What do you think would have happened in Season 3? Let us know in the comments!