Posted in: NBC, Netflix, streaming, TV | Tagged: manifest, matt long, nbc, netflix, season 4

Manifest: With NBC Pilot Not Moving Forward, Matt Long Free to Return

Earlier this month, Manifest fans had a whole bunch of casting news to sort through, with Parveen Kaur, Luna Blaise, and Holly Taylor having locked in deals to rejoin Josh Dallas, Melissa Roxburgh, and J.R. Ramirez in Netflix's 20-episode final run. They also learned that Ty Doran was joining the cast in the series regular role of an older Cal Stone. And for reasons that fans know but we won't spoil for others, Jack Messina (young Cal) and Athena Karkanis (Cal and Olive's mom) will not be returning. Now, Deadline Hollywood is reporting exclusively that series star Matt Long's NBC drama pilot Getaway won't be moving forward, freeing the actor to return to the series for its final season if a deal can be reached. During last month's Creative Arts Emmy Awards (when the Getaway pilot was still being considered), Long expressed his excitement about being able to come back at least in some capacity. "I will be back for some of it, we're just trying to find out the maximum I can do. After [Manifest] was canceled, it was heartbreaking. But then we got picked up by Netflix, it's so much more than we ever could've dreamed of. I can't wait to get back to it and see everybody and be part of the story again," he explained.

Here's a look at Manifest creator Jeff Rake's tweet from earlier this month making a request of the fans for a little understanding, a request we think they'll be more than happy to meet. Because 20 episodes won't just appear overnight, people… and besides? You know the cast will have some good stuff to share on social media…

Speaking with EW, Rake offered some early Manifest updates on production as well as some personal insight into how he felt hearing the good news- here are some highlights:

Rake's Looking to Roll By the End of 2021: "We certainly expect to be in production this calendar year. I'm hopeful that cameras are rolling in November or December latest. We're going to work as fast as we can while still keeping an eye on quality control because we want to get episodes to everyone as soon as possible. We also want them to be excellent. It might take a minute for a brand-new batch of episodes to show up in people's homes, but it's going to be worth the wait."

The "Manifest" Writers' Room Could Be Open By the Time You Read This: "The writers' room is opening up this week. I'm already having preliminary conversations with my deputies, and we'll all be officially getting in the room together — or the Zoom room together — by the end of the week. We couldn't be more excited."

The "Manifest" Endgame "Won't Change At All": "The good news is I am absolutely confident that 20 episodes give me enough time to tell the entirety of the story as I always intended to. When I've talked in the past about having a roadmap all the way to the end of the series, that didn't mean that I had a roadmap for literally every single episode. I have a roadmap with a series of twists and turns and flags in the sand that we would ultimately hit in order to tell the core stories within our mythology and within our relationship drama. So it will not be a particularly difficult exercise to overlay that same exact roadmap onto 20 episodes. It will be quite organic."

As for How the Episodes Will Release, That's Netflix's Call: "I don't think that's been decided. I don't think that's ultimately my decision. I'll certainly have those conversations with Netflix. I'll offer my opinion. I'm sure we will come together and come up with a game plan that makes the most sense for the show. The good news for the fans is that they can absolutely expect the same show that they've been watching. Netflix has been so lovely in my conversations with them so far. They've made it quite clear that they want us to keep making the same show that we've been making. The audience shouldn't be concerned that the tone of the show is going to shift, or the method of storytelling is going to shift. We're going to keep making the show that everyone fell in love with."

Okay, All of the Business Stuff Aside. How Did Rake Feel When He Got "The News": "Oh my goodness. It's such a combination of emotions, from gratitude to humility to shock and awe and incredible excitement. It's been a spectrum of emotions from June, when we got the bad news, to July, when we started sniffing the possibility of a future for us. Then there was a month of uncertainty where it looked like something might come together, but there were many hurdles to jump and so you manage your expectations. You're hoping for the best but don't want to go through a second round of disappointment. Thankfully I've had colleagues and family to accompany me along this journey, but the result is so incredible."

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