Just because Netflix credited Forever as a limited series doesn’t mean season 2 isn’t in the works.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, lead actor Michael Cooper Jr. weighed in on a possible renewal.
“I think that depending on how it’s received, we may be able to come back for season 2,” Cooper Jr., who plays Justin, teased. “I think [showrunner] Mara [Brock Akil] is in the works of writing some things for season 2.”
Cooper Jr. was hopeful about a return, adding, “We never know. But that’s something that I’m hopeful for his journey to go that way. So we’ll see.”
Based on Judy Blume‘s 1975 novel, Forever follows the love story between a teenage couple. The Netflix version changed a few key details, including moving the setting to Los Angeles in 2018 with Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin at the center of the show.
“Forever really was a tale that kind of tested the times and stayed true. Love for teenagers looks kind of like this, so it is cool seeing how we’re now in a new age and this is a reimagination, but just in a completely different era,” Simone, 26, explained to Us. “It’s nice to see it revamped a little bit. We’re still honest to the book and honest to the points that it was trying to make there.”
Simone showed support for more episodes of Forever. “I would love to see what [Keisha] turns into. I would love to see what she would teach me,” she noted. “[But] I liked that ending also because even if it’s not the end forever, it was a very mature stopping point for the both of them. I feel like they were in places in their lives where they said, ‘Hey, maybe this is not going to be helpful for the things that I have to consider and do for myself in this portion of my life.’”
Cooper Jr., meanwhile, gave Akil her flowers for executing her vision.
“She does such a beautiful job and there’s so much connectivity for people of our generation who necessarily aren’t familiar with the original text. There’s different access points, so I think she does that really well,” he shared with Us. “[Mara] wanted to make a love story to L.A. — not just between two teenagers. Being in L.A. was really different. It also helped create the character because now we know where they are in a sense of their environment and their upbringing. It helped shape me in that essence.”
He continued: “It’s so relatable. We’ve all experienced it to some sort of level — especially with the technological advancements and the corresponding via text and the blocking and then not picking up calls and wanting to text something and deleting it. Those things are so real and we all have been in those positions. It’s a really important entry point that Mara is using to showcase Judy’s work and then also Mara’s work.”
Forever is currently streaming on Netflix.
