'Glee' reboot: Who's confirmed, who's in talks and where to watch

"Glee" is getting a second act. Disney+ and Hulu have ordered a reboot of the Ryan Murphy musical series that ran on Fox from 2009 to 2015, Variety reported on Wednesday, Oct. 21. In the days since, reports have started to fill in who might come back, but the studio itself has not announced a single cast member. Here is what has been confirmed, what is still being negotiated, and what fans can watch while they wait.

*This report draws on reporting by Variety and Deadline; full list of sources below.*

What has actually been announced

The only official piece of news is the series order itself. According to Variety, Disney shared little beyond two facts: the new "Glee" is being produced by 20th Television, the studio behind the original, and it will be available on both Hulu and Disney+. The company did not release a premiere window, an episode count, a plot description or a cast list.

That matters, because much of what is circulating online goes further than the announcement. As of Saturday night, no actor had been officially cast by the studio. Everything about individual stars comes from reporting by entertainment trade outlets based on unnamed sources, or from the actors' own social media posts.

Lea Michele: reported to be in, not yet announced

The biggest name attached so far is Lea Michele, who led the original cast as Rachel Berry, the ambitious, Broadway-obsessed student at the heart of the McKinley High glee club. In an exclusive published Oct. 21, Variety reported that Michele is returning to the role, citing multiple sources. A source told the outlet simply that she is "in." Representatives for Michele and Murphy did not comment to Variety.

Deadline's framing was more cautious. In its own report, Deadline described Michele as being in talks to reprise Rachel. The difference between the two trade reports is a useful reminder: until the studio or the actor confirms a signed deal, a return is reported, not official.

Michele has spoken warmly about the idea before. Before the series order, she told E! News that she would follow Murphy "wherever he goes," as Variety recounted. Since "Glee," Variety noted, she has had roles in other Murphy projects such as "Scream Queens" and enjoyed a career revival after taking over the role of Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of "Funny Girl" in 2022, a part her "Glee" character spent years dreaming about.

Heather Morris and Chord Overstreet: in talks

On Thursday, Oct. 22, Deadline reported that Heather Morris and Chord Overstreet are in talks to return, citing sources. Morris played Brittany Pierce, the cheerleader known for her deadpan one-liners, and Overstreet played Sam Evans, a transfer student who joined both the football team and the New Directions glee club.

Both actors appeared to hint at the news online. Variety pointed to social media posts from the two that seemed to suggest they would be back, including an Instagram post from Overstreet with the caption "Reunited and it feels so good!" A playful post, however, is not the same as a finalized contract, and neither actor's deal has been announced by the studio.

What Ryan Murphy has said

The project has been building for weeks. Co-creator Ryan Murphy told Entertainment Tonight that he had written a reboot script with his original collaborators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, and that he had been in touch with "around 10" members of the original cast, according to both Variety and Deadline.

Murphy did not say which ten actors he had contacted, and no one has published a list. Any article that names the rest of the returning cast as fact is getting ahead of the reporting.

The original cast, and who has not been mentioned

The first "Glee" had a large ensemble. Its original cast included Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Amber Riley, Heather Morris, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Harry Shum Jr. and Chord Overstreet.

Of those, only Michele, Morris and Overstreet have been tied to the reboot in trade reporting so far. Chris Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel, has been publicly unsure. In an interview with Bustle cited by Variety, he said a reboot would be difficult to make after the death of his co-star Naya Rivera, but said he would still consider it.

Any reboot will also have to deal with the cast members who are no longer here. Two beloved original stars, Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith, have died. Monteith died in 2013 while the show was still airing, and Rivera died in 2020 at age 33, Variety reported. How the new series handles those absences, if at all, has not been addressed by the studio or by Murphy.

Why "Glee" still has a pull

Few network shows of the 2010s left a bigger footprint. Set at William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, "Glee" followed a show choir of misfits through competitions, heartbreak and life after graduation, with musical numbers in every episode. Deadline notes the series won six Emmys over its six seasons, including awards for Murphy and for Jane Lynch, who played the coach Sue Sylvester.

The show's music is still remarkably popular. Variety reported that "Glee" music averages 4.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, more than a decade after the finale. The outlet also noted that the series is remembered both for its blockbuster covers and for the blunt, sometimes controversial way it handled sexuality, race, disability and mental health, which means a modern version will be judged on both fronts.

The reboot has already become a pop-culture punchline in its own right. This weekend, the Weekend Update segment of "SNL U.K." joked about the "Glee" revival alongside other headlines of the week, Variety reported.

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Where to watch "Glee" now

If you want to catch up before the new series arrives, the original six seasons are streaming on Hulu, according to Deadline. The reboot is set to stream on both Hulu and Disney+, per Variety, but no release date has been given. Viewers should check the services directly for availability in their region.

What happens next

The next milestones to watch for are an official cast announcement from Disney or 20th Television, confirmation of deals for Michele, Morris and Overstreet, word on whether Murphy's script centers on the original characters or a new class of students, and a production start date. None of those has been announced.

Until then, the honest scorecard looks like this: the series order is confirmed; Lea Michele's return is reported by Variety, citing sources; Heather Morris and Chord Overstreet are in talks, according to Deadline; and the rest of the cast is unknown. NewsCubby will update this story when the studio confirms casting.

*This report draws on reporting by Variety and Deadline. It summarizes their reporting in our own words; quotes are attributed to the people and outlets that published them.*