Entourage Ends Next Year; Feature Film To Follow?

Entourage is over. Even the most die-hard, forgiving followers of the show seem to be ready to deliver a eulogy. So it is appropriate that HBO's programming president recently said that next year's season will be a short order, and the end of the series. But series creator Doug Ellin still has enough ambition for a film spin-off that such a thing remains a possibility.

Multiple outlets (including Bleeding Cool and Collider) have reported on comments made by HBO's Michael Lombardo during the recent Television Critics Awards (TCA) tour. Lombardo said,

The plan right now is we'll finish up this season, we'll do a shorter order for next season, we've talked about six... Entourage next summer will definitely be the final season.

And of the idea of a feature film, Lombardo said,

[Entourage creator Doug Ellin] wants to write a film, but wants to do it when the story will make sense.

OK, so what does 'when the story will make sense' mean. Make sense to Ellin, or make sense to the greater audience? Will he pick up years later with Vince Chase and/or Ari Gold in a different position? Make the Entourage version of a Wall Street sequel? Maybe Vince has gone back to NYC to re-do his career by starring in an actor-centric indie, to capitalize on his success from The Great Gatsby?

There are loads of options, including making a film that would directly play to the Hollywood satire that was once a more biting part of the series. (In which case it could basically be Entourage filtered through Altman's The Player.) But it's all speculation for now, and we probably won't hear anything of substance until next year, at least.