'The OA' has been axed by Netflix after two seasons

Netflix drama The OA has been axed after only two seasons, it's been confirmed.

The mysterious drama series, which was created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, and produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, debuted to an instant cult following in 2016.

It was followed by a second, eight-part series which aired in March this year, but will not be stretching to a third.

In a statement, Netflix said: “We are incredibly proud of the 16 mesmerising chapters of The OA, and are grateful to Brit and Zal for sharing their audacious vision and for realising it through their incredible artistry.

“We look forward to working with them again in the future, in this and perhaps many other dimensions.”

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The plot found Marling's Prairie Johnson re-appearing in her home town after having been missing for seven years.

Her story slowly unfolds, taking in alternate dimensions, dramatic flashbacks and strange dance moves, with a cast including Jason Isaacs, Emory Cohen, Riz Ahmed and Paz Vega.

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Judging by the major cliffhanger which ended series two, it was pretty clear that Marling and Batmanglij had not yet completed their story.

Marling said in a post to Instagram: “Some of you may know already or some of you may be learning from this letter that Netflix will not be continuing The OA.

“Zal and I are deeply sad not to finish this story. The first time I heard the news I had a good cry. So did one one of our executives at Netflix who has been with us since the early days when we were sketching out Hap’s basement on the floor of our production office in Queens.

“It’s been an intense journey for everyone who worked on and cared about this story.”

The OA is streaming on Netflix now.