After two years in development hell, The 100 prequel spin-off finally gets the can at The CW, via Deadline. The prequel would take place in the years preceding the nuclear apocalypse that sets up the original.
A backdoor pilot aired during The 100‘s seventh and final season, and The CW greenlighted the series in October 2019. The prequel ended up not going to series in May 2020, but development continued.
Deadline had previously reported that discussions took place for the series to air on both The CW and HBO Max, which remained until the project got canned.
The prequel series was set 97 years before the original, starting with the nuclear apocalypse that nearly wiped out the entire world. It will follow a group of survivors on the ground as they learn to live in the dangerous new world to create a new society.
CW President Mark Pedowitz gave fans hope on the prequel in May. “There are still discussions going on — it is not done in any way, shape or form,” he said in a press call, via Deadline. “The discussions are still happening.”
Newcomer Iola Evans, Aidan Bradley (The Bold and the Beautiful), and Leo Howard (Kickin’ It) appeared in the backdoor pilot, but according to Deadline, their options expired as of a year and a half ago.
The 100 first premiered in 2014 and ran for seven seasons and 100 episodes. The series starred Eliza Taylor (Neighbours), Paige Turco (All My Children), and Thomas McDonnell (Prom) among many others in an ensemble cast.