House of Cards will be back for a fifth season – but its showrunner won't
Creator Beau Willimon will leave the Netflix series at the end of season four
Frank Underwood's political power games are not over: House of Cards will be back for a fifth season.
However, the man pulling the strings behind the scenes, creator Beau Willimon, will not.
Netflix confirmed on Thursday that the political drama will return for another series in 2017, with season four set to air from 4th March 2016 on the streaming service.
However, showrunner Willimon has confirmed he will not be part of the project. The playwright and screenwriter, who originally adapted the BBC miniseries and has been showrunner for the past four seasons, said it was time for him to move on to "new endeavours".
"I'm grateful to Netflix and MRC, my fellow executive producers, our two incandescent stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, our talented writers, as well as the incredible cast and crew with whom I've had the privilege to work," he said in a statement.
"After five years and four seasons, it's time for me to move on to new endeavours, but I'm supremely proud of what we've built together, wish the show much continued success, and leave it in the hands of a very capable team."
Trailers for the upcoming season four feature star Kevin Spacey as President Underwood in the midst of a presidential campaign.
The US political drama is one of Netflix's flagship 'original series', and has been on air since 2013.
The streaming service paid tribute to Willimon's work in a statement: "Netflix and MRC owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Beau Willimon for his strong narrative vision for House of Cards over the show’s first four seasons.
"As an Academy Award-nominated writer, he made his first foray into television and built a riveting and critically acclaimed series, establishing his place in TV history. The producers, cast and crew join us in wishing Beau the best in his next creative adventure."
