Less than 24 hours ago it was confirmed that season six of HOUSE OF CARDS would be the final season, and though this has been the plan for several months, it came on the heels on allegations of sexual assault being made against the show’s star, Kevin Spacey. But Netflix isn't ready to fold their hand yet, as it’s now being said the service is exploring several different spinoff projects.
The news comes from Variety who got word that Netflix is looking at several different ideas for spinoffs that focus on different areas of the CARDS world. The one that has the most steam will focus on the character Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), who played Frank Underwood’s (Spacey) chief of staff, with Eric Roth (FOREST GUMP, CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON) set to write.
Like GAME OF THRONES, multiple spinoffs are on the table, with one possible series that could focus on the journalists that have tried to bring down Frank and Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), while another could center on corporate, Wall Street figures like Raymond Tusk (Gerald McRaney). However, one option that is not being considered is a movie, with a source saying “With HOUSE OF CARDS, even if a writer had a great take, it would be done as a two-hour, two-part episode rather than a movie. There's just no interest there the way there is at HBO."
The political world is filled with all sorts of angles that could make for great, dramatic TV, but what makes HOUSE OF CARDS work so well are Spacey and Wright. Without them, there’s little to raise any spinoff above a standard political drama. Stamper is a complex and intriguing enough character to possibly make for some good TV, but I don’t about an entire series. Another great character to focus on is Mahershala Ali’s Remy Danton, and right now Ali couldn’t be a hotter property. No matter who they choose, it will be impossible to replace the Southern tongue and Shakespearean asides of Frank Underwood.
HOUSE OF CARDS season six arrives in 2018.