Star News: Locally filmed TV series ‘One Tree Hill’ picked up for ninth season

---

Wilmington will be known as Tree Hill for at least one more year.

The locally produced “One Tree Hill” has been picked up for a ninth season. Actor Austin Nichols, who plays “Julian” on the show, posted this message on his Twitter account just before 4 p.m. Tuesday: “We just got picked up for 13 episodes. OTH cannot be killed thanks to the fans. Season finale tonight.”

Bill Vassar, executive vice president of EUE/Screen Gems Studios, confirmed he had unofficially heard the news from multiple sources. He said it was uncertain whether it would be on the schedule for the beginning of the fall season or debut mid-season around January, or when it would come back into production.

All of the show’s major actors have signed on for an additional season, Vassar added.

Speculation had circulated for weeks about whether “One Tree Hill,” which rents production offices and sound stages at EUE/Screen Gems’ Wilmington campus, would be renewed for another season.

This comes after new episodes of the show averaged 1.8 million total viewers this season.

According to the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, about 125 professional locals are employed on the set and the show pumps about $1 million per episode into the local economy.

“One Tree Hill” has filmed in Wilmington since 2003, and it is the longest-running project to be filmed in the Port City. The series airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on The CW network.

Via : Locally filmed TV series ‘One Tree Hill’ picked up for ninth season | StarNewsOnline.com.

---