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One Direction: The Newest Update

Hannah Crawford Student Contributor, Grand Canyon University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at GCU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

If you’ve been in the news recently, you would’ve heard all the information about the chaos in the world or the recent media find, but what some people don’t know is that there is recent One Direction content going around. What this means is that the members have come out to talk about their experience within the band and some unknown details that were never discussed. For those who are not fans, this feels like the Avengers coming back together.

The History

As most know, back in 2015, the biggest shock that hit the world—beside the U.S. election and other political movements—was the news that Zayn Malik (now known as ZAYN) had left the biggest boy band in the world, One Direction. Soon after he left, the band officially went on a hiatus in 2016 and had yet to get back together. During this time apart, all members had begun their own solo music careers, topping the charts in multiple countries.

While almost all members have stated they would get back together when the time was right, that decision was pulled away when one of the members, Liam Payne, sadly passed away in Argentina in 2024. This spiked doubt in the hearts of the loyal fans that have listen to the band’s songs on repeat since the notice of the hiatus. All members made public social media posts about the passing of their former bandmate, but the hope of a reunion seemed so out of sight.

That was until news came out that not only have the remaining bandmates confessed of staying in contact with each other, but two of the members have come together to make a documentary about their experience while being in the band.

One Direction: This Is Us

The band had made a movie about their upcoming back in 2013, before ZAYN left the band. This followed their story from the start of then auditioning for the X-factor and into stardom. They talked about their home-lives, tour-lives and personal relationships. This movie featured backstage information, unforgettable moments from their tour, and all the shenanigans in between. Not only did the movie open plenty of doors for fans to connect with the five stars, it also showed the work and personality that the stars put into their singing and songwriting. Now, the fans want to know what’s next for this band.

Netflix Documentary 2026

This brings us to the present. In October 2025, Netflix announced that two members, ZAYN and Louis Tomlinson, have reunited for a three-part documentary series following their time after One Direction, and how the band affected their lives in the long run. The reason that this information is so exciting for new and old fans, is because these two members have been known for having difficulties with each other since ZAYN left the band. They were said to be close friends during their time with the band, but afterward, they rarely talked to each other or about each other.

After the death of their former bandmate, Liam Payne, news about their reconnection started to surface and fans were excited. Although the band will never be the same, it was encouraging to see the all the recent development that they were willing to show to the public. The members still continue to promote their solo careers, but hope has refueled the fans and things may be starting to look up. Although, we won’t know the truth about Louis and ZAYN’s relationship until the documentary comes out, fans can only hope to hear the best from them.

Hannah is a senior at Grand Canyon University studying Professional Writing for New Media. As a frequent media consumer, Hannah typically spends her time watching all the new and old classics, both on the big screen and at home. She also loves to fill her free time reading next to a cozy fireplace recording that she found on Netflix, and obsessing over her latest fantasy or dystopian read. Although Hannah would never make it through the day without at least one (or two) cups of coffee to keep her fueled.

Hannah’s ultimate goal is to inspire other people to write their own stories down and dive into the worlds that they wish to create. She is inspired to focus her schooling, experience, and dream toward her own writing so she can one day publish work under her name, allowing others to join her in her world.