Manifest creator Jeff Rake hast plans to end the recently canceled series on its fans’ terms. After the show got the ax at NBC last month, Rake told Entertainment Weekly he’s already making plans for a potential feature-length movie to wrap up the story of Montego Air Flight 828. There hasn’t been a buyer yet, but Rake is remaining optimistic, especially with the success Manifest has seen after dropping on Netflix shortly before its cancellation.
While Rake always planned on making six seasons of Manifest, he told the outlet he’s “kind of moved away” from the roadmap that would require three more seasons to wrap up his initial plan. “I’m reading the writing on the wall that we may not find a home for three more seasons of the show, so I moved to plan B: Some platform would bankroll a feature or a movie finale, like we saw with Timeless, Firefly, and Deadwood,” he explained.
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With a “modest budget,” Rake said he’d be able to take his initial back half of the series and turn it into a “much more streamlined, cut-to-the-chase two-hour finale that would distill all of the hanging chads of the series.” He continued of the fan demand for the conclusion of Manifest‘s mysteries, “That’s where my head is at. There is a huge appetite for people wanting to know what’s that end of the story, what happened to the passengers, what ultimately happened to that airplane.”
There have been no deals made yet, but Rake is banking on how popular Manifest has been since it dropped on Netflix, remaining at the top of the watch list since it first premiered. The streamer didn’t ultimately decide to pick up the NBC show for another three seasons, but Rake isn’t losing hope. “I’ve encouraged Warner Bros. and my agents to continue conversations with Netflix, and anyone else for that matter, another platform who may be interested in stepping up,” he said, pointing out that Season 3 of Manifest lives on Hulu, so there’s more potential there. He added, “Fans are also hearing the show is incomplete and remains incomplete. I take that as a positive sign.”
Having Manifest become so popular on streaming right as it gets canceled is a mixed bag. Rake called it “gratifying” that the show is finding “an entirely new legion of fans,” but also “confusing” to have a show be canned right as it hits its peak popularity. “I was well on my way through the stages of grief to process the premature ending of the story,” he said. “Now I am basking in the rebirth of the show.”
