The Orville Season 4 To Become A Movie?
Fans are already clamoring for The Orville to produce a season 4, but could it come in the form of a feature film?
This article is more than 2 years old
The Orville has gone from being a somewhat bewildering Seth MacFarlane side-project to a beloved cult series that has fans clamoring for a season 4. The third season of the show jumped from Fox to Hulu (much to the vocal pleasure of creator/star MacFarlane) and just recently wrapped up its finale episode, but that just has people wondering if The Orville season 4 will actually ever happen. If one of the stars of The Orville is to be believed, season 4 of the show might actually become a movie rather than a series of new episodes.
Per Small Screen, actor Peter Macon (who portrays second officer Lieutenant Commander Bortus) said in an interview that Seth MacFarlane is very enthusiastic to produce more of the show and that there were talks for it to take the form of a movie. Macon was clear that he could not confirm that it was actually in the works, but it would make a lot of sense. Additionally, Macon himself said he was definitely up for The Orville season 4, so at least there is one cast member already on board.
The Orville season 4 being produced as a movie is pretty logical when all is considered. The show was never exactly handled well by the Fox network. Despite being envisioned by Seth MacFarlane as an homage to Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation with some comedic elements, Fox insisted on marketing it as a purely goofy show in the vein of MacFarlane’s Family Guy. Then they shifted the time slot around and according to Seth MacFarlane, just never really got on board with the vibe of the show. However, the transition to Hulu (now being marketed as The Orville: New Horizons) freed up the show creatively, and more importantly, more the rigid restrictions of network-based television.
Even more promisingly for The Orville season 4, the show is also now being streamed on Disney+. That gives the show two different potential platforms for the show to be converted into a movie-length release. In particular, Disney+ has been increasingly inclined to produce movies directly for release on streaming, so taking a show with a built-in, loyal fan base like The Orville and making a feature season 4 would seem like a real possibility.
But more than all that, it seems very likely that Seth MacFarlane himself would be very pleased for The Orville season 4 to become a movie. After all, his beloved Star Trek eventually made the leap from network television to feature films. It took years of development, an animated show, Gene Roddenberry having a whole bunch of notes, and much else, but eventually, Star Trek became a film franchise. It is hard not to see Seth MacFarlane as having similar ambitions for his own project, particularly when it could potentially lead to him starring in a series of films. However, we shall just have to see whether The Orville will get a season 4 at all and what form it may eventually take.
