The OA fan theory suggests cancellation is Netflix publicity stunt after season 2 twist

Is this really the last well see of the beloved TV show?

Fans of The OA are theorising that its cancellation might just be one big publicity stunt.

Netflix announced its decision to axe the fantasy series earlier this week, with lead star Brit Marling posting a lengthy note following the news.

After saying she had a “good cry” upon hearing the news, Marling, who also co-created the series with Zal Batmanglij, wrote: “Zal and I are deeply sad not to finish this story.”

The news was met with derision on social media, with a petition to save the show created and signed by more than 38,000 people.

These fans are disappointed they won’t get to see what happens next after The OA Part II’s astonishing twist – but it’s now being floated that it could be an extremely clever marketing tactic considering how meta the show went in its closing moments.

*Spoilers for those who have never seen The OA*

The series follows a blind girl who goes missing and resurfaces seven years later with her vision restored and the belief that she is a dimension-hopping alien known as “The OA”. In each universe she travels to, she encounters a villainous man named Hap, played by Jason Isaacs, who wants to study her knowledge.

In the second season finale, viewers were introduced to yet another dimension in which Brit Marling and Jason Isaacs are introduced as characters in their own TV show.

One Reddit user named smithif thinks that the cancellation news is all part of Marling and Batmanglij’s five-season plan. They wrote: ”I know it will sound like denial but I truly believe that this isn’t the end. There are so many signs that point to this being a larger game being played by Zal, Brit, and Netflix.”

“Surely, within that dimension, the show would likely be cancelled. The show broke the fourth wall. I believe that Brit and Zal would take this opportunity to live out elements of the show beyond the constraints of the screen.”

Even Isaacs and co-star Emory Cohen have posted a video showing off the movements the characters have to perform in the series so they can travel between dimensions – is this a message for fans? Or a loving tribute to a show that’s truly been cancelled?

Netflix has previously dropped surprise projects in the past, but officially cancelling a show with no intention of axing it would be another thing altogether.

The OA returns to Netflix either a) never or b) as a surprise in a few years.