FOX president Kevin Reilly confirms that the October 10 episode of the musical show will address Monteith's death, but won't say if his character Finn will die of a drug overdose or not.
- Aug 2, 2013
AceShowbiz - FOX entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly has shared more details of "Glee" Cory Monteith tribute episode. Met at the TCA summer press tour, he confirmed that the third installment of season 5 set to air October 10 "is the episode where Cory's character will be written out and will deal directly with drug addiction and with the circumstances surrounding Cory's death."
He noted that it didn't necessarily mean Monteith's character Finn Hudson would die of a drug overdose, but he revealed that series creator Ryan Murphy and the cast would shoot PSAs that would air during the episode. He added that proceeds from the music in the episode will be used to set up a fund, which provides scholarships to kids, in honor of the late actor.
Asked if the tribute episode would use Monteith's never-before-seen footage, Reilly only said that "it's a possibility." He additionally talked about the private memorial for Monteith attended by "Glee" stars and crew, sharing, "Kids sang songs, it was beautiful."
"Cory was a big, open wonderful life force...He was not a problem. Everybody loved him," Reilly went on saying about the 31-year-old actor. He added that Monteith's co-star and off-screen girlfriend Lea Michele had been a "pillar of strength" and "an extraordinary human being" following his sudden passing.
Speaking of the show's future, Reilly said that they're now focused on the-already-greenlit season 5 and season 6, but wouldn't rule out the possibility of the show continuing beyond that. "If we discover a new crop of kids and there's some breakout, who knows, but right now, we're thinking about two seasons," he stated.
Cory Monteith died of mixed-drug toxicity, involving heroin and alcohol, in his hotel room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in downtown Vancouver on July 13. In light of his tragic death, the production of "Glee" season 5 has been delayed to next week and the premiere has been pushed back to September 26.
