Brad Pitt's production company Plan B Entertainment is in early talks to develop a second season of Adolescence following the series' explosive success on Netflix.
In their first interview since the show became a global phenomenon last month, Plan B co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner told Deadline they are currently speaking with director Philip Barantini about the "next iteration" of the show, which starred and was co-created by Stephen Graham.
Gardner emphasised they are carefully considering how to "widen the aperture, stay true to its DNA [and] not be repetitive," though she declined to reveal specific details about their creative plans.
Kleiner added that they hope to reunite Graham and British writer Jack Thorne, the creative force behind Adolescence, for the potential new chapter. The original series was co-produced by Warp Films and Matriarch Productions.
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These discussions will likely be welcomed by both Netflix and the millions of viewers who propelled the series to No. 4 on Netflix's most popular English-language TV list, where it has amassed 114.5 million views since its 13 March debut.
The show's gripping narrative follows a 13-year-old boy (breakout star Owen Cooper) accused of stabbing a female classmate to death after being radicalised by online "manosphere" content.
Reflecting on the show's unexpected global resonance, Gardner and Kleiner expressed gratitude that what began as a "seemingly small, localised, emotional story" could spark such widespread engagement.
Gardner noted that male violence has been a persistent societal issue for decades, and the team felt "humbled" to have found an impactful way to explore the subject.
She credited Barantini's innovative one-take shooting method as an essential creative component that elevated the material.
The collaboration originated when Plan B executives saw Barantini's one-take feature Boiling Point, which starred Graham as a chef experiencing professional and personal collapse.
Kleiner recalled immediately recognising the potential to adapt this immersive technique for television. Pitt, who had previously worked with Graham on 2000's Snatch, became an enthusiastic supporter of the project. "Brad is a massive fan of Stephen's," Kleiner noted.
As Thorne revealed in a previous Deadline interview, Plan B initially developed the series under a deal with Amazon Prime Video before the streamer ultimately passed on the project.
Kleiner addressed this diplomatically: "I want to be grateful to them for their good faith in helping us get underway."
Pitt remained deeply involved throughout development, participating in pitch meetings with Amazon and providing feedback on Thorne's pilot script, which Kleiner said the Fight Club star found particularly powerful.
"He was part of the energy, drive, and impetus to get the thing off the ground," Kleiner added.
After Amazon's rejection, Netflix became the natural next home for the project. Gardner knew the show had broken through culturally when her daughter showed her a TikTok trend of mothers reacting to Adolescence.
The series has sparked political conversation in the UK, where Labour leader Keir Starmer acknowledged it "hit home hard" in his own household. "It was refreshing to hear a politician talking about watching TV," Gardner remarked.
When asked how Adolescence fits within Plan B's legacy of socially conscious projects like #MeToo drama She Said and racial injustice adaptation The Nickel Boys, Gardner identified "complicity" as a unifying theme in their work.
Kleiner added that the company embraces an ambitious creative approach exemplified by Adolescence's technical achievements: "Look at the incredible power of UK television.
There's a way things are made [there] that we want to do more of, for sure. Not just in the UK but across Europe."
