Prison Break‘s No. 1 inmate is making a permanent escape from the franchise.

Wentworth Miller, who for five seasons starred as jailbird Michael Scofield on the Fox drama, has announced that his involvement with the series has come to an end.

“I’m out. Of PB. Officially,” he declared to fans in an Instagram post on Sunday, before explaining, “I just don’t want to play straight characters. Their stories have been told (and told).

“So… no more Michael,” continued the actor, who came out as gay in 2013. “If you were a fan of the show, hoping for additional seasons… I understand this is disappointing. I’m sorry.”

After wrapping its four-season run on Fox in 2009, Prison Break was revived by the network in 2017 for nine-episode fifth season. The following year, network president Michael Thorn confirmed that “a new iteration of Prison Break” was in the “very early stages of development.” Fox’s then-CEO Gary Newman later revealed that the new season “would not [feature] an entirely new cast,” adding that series creator Paul Scheuring “had an idea for another season. He came in and pitched it. But it’s super early. We haven’t seen any written materials yet.”

A Fox source, meanwhile, tells TVLine that a sixth season of Prison Break is not currently in active development.

Two of Miller’s Prison Break co-stars are publicly backing his decision to walk away from the series. Commenting on Miller’s Instagram post, Dominic Purcell wrote, “Fully support and understand your reasoning. Glad you have made this decision for you health and your truth.”

Miller’s leading lady Sarah Wayne Callies wrote in her own Instagram post on Monday, “Yesterday, Wentworth Miller announced he’s done playing Michael Scofield because, as a gay man he wants to focus on playing gay characters. With gratitude for all the work we did together, and with deep love, I’m voicing my support for that choice.”

Callies went on to write, “To all the fans, know this: the cast of Prison Break is a queer-friendly space. We stand with — and among — our friends and family in the LGBTQ+ community with full throated support for their rights and artistic work.”

EXCLUSIVE: A fan favorite series, Prison Break, is poised for a comeback. Hulu is in early development on a new incarnation of the Fox drama. It is written and executive produced by Mayans M.C. co-creator, executive producer and showrunner Elgin James under his Sierra Drive banner, in his first project following the conclusion of the hit FX series.

Described as a new chapter, the new installment is set in the world of Prison Break, sources tell Deadline. Details are being kept under wraps but it is not expected to involve the characters who were at the center of the original series and its followups on Fox, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln Burrows’ (Dominic Purcell), we hear.

The new Prison Break series stems from James’ deal with 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios, which produced the original and serves as the studio on the new offshoot. James executive produces alongside Prison Break creator/executive producer Paul Scheuring and the original series’ executive producers Dawn Olmstead, Marty Adelstein and Neal Moritz.

The original Prison Break, which debuted in 2005, followed Michael Scofield (Miller), a young man determined to prove his convicted brother Lincoln Burrows’ (Purcell) innocence and save him from death row by hatching an elaborate plan to escape from prison.

Other notable cast members included Amaury Nolasco, Sarah Wayne Callies, Paul Adelstein, Rockmond Dunbar, Inbar Lavi, Mark Feuerstein, Robert Knepper and Augustus Prew.

The series aired on Fox for four seasons followed by a made-for-TV film titled The Final Break which aired 12 days after the Season 4 finale in 2009 to wrap things up. A 2015 Prison Break sequel limited series starring Miller and Purcell, also on Fox, served as a fifth season.

For the following couple of years, Fox continued to explore another installment of Prison Break, which did not materialize. Meanwhile, Disney in 2019 acquired 21st Century Fox assets, including Prison Break studio 20th Television, which no longer is affiliated with the series’ longtime home, the Fox network. Disney-controlled Hulu is the streaming home of Prison Break, making it a natural destination for a new installment of the popular drama.

In 2020, Miller announced that he was done with Prison Break and, as a gay man, he would no longer play heterosexual characters.

James served as co-creator, executive producer and showrunner of Mayans M.C., which ran for 5 seasons and concluded its run in July. Alongside Stephen Merchant, James co-created the Amazon Studios/BBC One series The Outlaws, starring Christopher Walken. A third season of the comedy was recently greenlit.

Additionally, James wrote, directed and scored his debut film in 2011, Little Birds, starring Juno Temple and Leslie Mann. The film premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and won a National Board of Review Award. James also co-wrote the script Lowriders for Imagine Entertainment and Universal Pictures, which was released theatrically in 2017.

He is repped by WME, Hunting Lane and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.

EXCLUSIVE: A new chapter of Prison Break has taken a major step towards becoming a reality at Hulu with a pilot pickup for the project from Mayans M.C. and The Outlaws co-creator Elgin James and 20th Television.

Details regarding the new installment’s plot are being kept under wraps, however, Deadline understands James’ version will be its own thing set within the same universe. As we previously reported, it is not expected to involve the characters at the center of the original series and its follow-up on Fox, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), and Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell).

James is executive producing under his Sierra Drive production banner, alongside four executive producers from the original series, Dawn Olmstead, who has been working closely with James throughout the development process, Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring, Marty Adelstein and Neal Moritz.

The pilot pickup comes a year after Deadline revealed exclusively that 20th TV was revisiting one of its legacy titles with a new take on Prison Break from James being set up at Hulu for development.

There have been encouraging updates since then, with Adelstein telling Deadline in July that “it’s going really well. The first script was really, really well done. They’ve given notes and it looks like it’s on its way.”

Additionally, the reboot got a boost from a Suits-like streaming resurgence for the original 2005 series, which returned to Netflix after a two-year break at the end of July for a limited, 18-month run. (All five seasons of Prison Break, remain available to stream on Hulu.)

The series, starring Miller and Purcell, immediately shot up, ranking as the #1 most streamed series in the US in August 2024 per Nielsen, leading the Top 10 Streaming Rankers during each week of the month (across both Netflix and Hulu). Over the first 10 months of the year, Prison Break has totaled nearly 200 Million hours of streaming, according to Nielsen, ranking among Top 10 acquired series during ten different weeks.

This marks a rare streaming hourlong drama pilot. Hulu previously did it with Death and Other Details, which went to series. The practice is more common on the half-hour side where Hulu recently piloted the multi-cam Mid-Century Modern, which also has been picked to to series, and YA dramedy Phony, which is casting.

Prison Break heralds James’ first high-profile project since the conclusion of FX’s Mayans M.C.—co-created with Kurt Sutter— in 2023, following 5 successful seasons, and the BBC/Prime Video series The Outlaws, co-created with The Office and Extras EP Stephen Merchant, which ended after 3 seasons earlier this year.

James wrote, directed and scored his debut film, Little Birds, starring Juno Temple and Leslie Mann. The film premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and won a National Board of Review Award. James also co-wrote Lowriders (2017) for Imagine Entertainment and Universal Pictures.

Sources reveal that fans of the writer, director and producer should not be surprised to see talent he has previously collaborated with in the past pop up on Prison Break. Casting has yet to begin on the project.

He is repped by WME, Hunting Lane and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.