‘House of Cards’ Eyeing Third Season
Netflix is in discussions to renew its hit political drama House of Cards, which stars Kevin Spacey, according to Deadline. The original deal planned for only 26 episodes of the show. But Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, who commented on the series during his keynote address at Film Independent’s gathering on Saturday, maintained that, “It was not our intent that it just run for two seasons.” Speaking to Deadline after his speech, he said, “Talks are in progress right now, so stay tuned.”
Who Praised ‘House of Cards’ on Our List of TV’s 22 Smartest People Discussing Their Favorite Shows?
The series, in which Spacey plays a politician seeking vengeance on those who stifled his career, received nine Emmy nominations earlier this year. It won three of those, including one for director David Fincher. Its success also paved the way for other critically acclaimed Netflix series like Orange Is the New Black. It also laid the groundwork for Netflix to position itself as a burgeoning Hollywood studio. Sarandos addressed that possibility, too, in a way on Saturday.
“The model that we’re doing for TV should work for movies,” he said, according to Deadline. “Why not premiere movies the same day on Netflix that they are opening in theaters?” At the same time, he blamed theater owners for restricting the medium’s growth. The Verge quoted Sarandos as saying, “Why not follow with the consumer’s desire to watch things when they want, instead of spending tens of millions of dollars to advertise to people who may not live near a theater, and then make them wait for four or five months before they can even see it?”
The second season of House of Cards is reportedly in its last week of production. It’s expected to premiere on Netflix in the first part of next year.