“Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite.” Good news, the popular teen show is being rebooted on HBO Max. Despite being branded as a soft-reboot, it is more of a sequel as it continues the original story with a brand new cast. There is a lot of talk online about this revival of the beloved series, but here’s what we know so far.
The series began filming in November, after months of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic which impacted the shift to a 2021 release. Just like the original series, it is set in New York City, with filming images emerging showing the memorable steps of Constance Billard. Plus, perhaps one of the most iconic mechanics in the Gossip Girl machine, is the voice of Gossip Girl, Kristen Bell, who has confirmed that she will be returning to the new series. This alone is strongly keeping to the familiar territory and theme for the audience.
Many fans took to Twitter when the news first came out about this revival and were under the impression that it would continue the lives of the original cast, with the likes of Blake Lively and Penn Badgley. However, despite the fact that this is a continuation of the original Gossip Girl series rather than a direct continuation of the story, it is instead set in the same world where the previous characters existed and can be freely referenced and potentially reappear, but stars a different set of characters from a different point of view. Some original Gossip Girl stars such as Chace Crawford, who portrayed Nate, have expressed that they would be more than happy to cameo — so now the Gossip Girl Cinematic Universe begins.
One of the first leading cast members reported was The Babysitter’s Emily Alyn Lind, along with Descendants’ Thomas Doherty and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Whitney Peak. Lind and Peak are rumored to be portraying the Serena and Blair like duo. Throughout the year, there have been a number of other casting announcements including Zion Moreno, Savannah Smith, Evan Mock and more.
Along with some expected appearances from the original cast, the original show-runner, Joshua Safran, will write and executive-produce. Safran stated in an interview with Vulture that the show will have more representation with more “nonwhite” lead roles and “a lot of queer content.”
With the show being set today, there will be more of a focus on social media with a reflection on how it has changed in the past 12 years, with an evolution of the story. There will be a sense of recreation, but more so a sense of expansion on something existing that we already love.
The Gossip Girl Instagram has emerged and might be the perfect marketing campaign for the series, with footage from the reboot shot on a mobile phone and the caption “Never fear, dears. Your one and only source is here. You know I could never leave you hanging. XOXO, Gossip Girl.”
Next year, we will be revisiting that already built up world, as the series comes to HBO Max, with a new crop of actors. Stay tuned for more info on this exciting new series.