Glee will deal with star Cory Monteith's death in the third episode of next season by addressing addiction, Fox chairman of entertainment Kevin Reilly announced today.
Specific details about the episode weren't given, but Reilly did confirm that the episode would write out Monteith's character Finn Hudson, "deal directly with the incident involved in Cory’s passing," and include public service announcements from the cast during commercial breaks about drug and alcohol addiction—all good approaches to dealing with such a topic. As for the first two episodes of the season, they were previously conceived as Beatles-themed episodes, and they will reportedly remain that way.
When asked, Reilly would not confirm whether or not the episode will use unused footage or outtakes of Monteith on set, responding only that "it's a possibility."
Monteith passed away at the age of 31 in a Vancouver hotel room last month from a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol. Production on Glee's fifth season is set to begin soon, will premiere on September 26th.
[via NY Times]
