A week after Cory Monteith’s death, Glee creator Ryan Murphy has broken his silence about what Monteith’s passing will mean for the show.
“I’ve never met any 26-year-old person stronger than Lea [Michele],” Murphy told E! Online Saturday, referring to the Glee star who had been in relationship with Monteith for over a year. Murphy explained that many decisions about the show’s future have been left up to Michele, even the option to end the show altogether. “That was never on the table for her,” however; production has only been delayed until the beginning of August.
Currently, the scripts for the first two episodes—tributes to the Beatles—have not changed. The third episode, on the other hand, will function as a tribute to Monteith and his character, Finn Hudson. Nothing is yet in the works, as Murphy, Michele and others are focusing their attention on a memorial service. According to Murphy, no one is “making any creative decisions or touching any scripts until after that happens.”
“I have no doubt it’s going to be an incredibly rough time,” Murphy said about the tribute episode, “but what else do you do?” He reiterated the importance of the cast and crew being together during this difficult time, and emphasized that counselors would be available on set when production resumes.
The current plan is for the series to return with the initial three episodes before taking an extended hiatus to determine the future of the show. Glee’s fifth season is now scheduled to premiere September 26 at 9 PM on Fox.