In this edition of our Culture Club series, for Gossip Girl fans anticipating the new reboot series, the premiere dates have finally been announced. Showrunner Joshua Safran revealed that the HBO Max series will premiere in July! After a delay due to COVID-19, production officially began on November 2 in New York. Now the new series will be hitting our screens in just a few months.
Like the original, the reboot will be about the new generation of privileged private school students in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, under the surveillance of the anonymous Gossip Girl. However, this new take on the show will feature more queer and diverse representation.
What Will the New Gossip Girl Reboot Be About?
Full plot details are not known, but what we do know that it is a glimpse into this New York society. It will investigate how this world has evolved in the past 12 years, instead of just a reiteration of the same story.
Here is a teaser:
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Who Will Be on Board From the Original?
The original leads aren’t currently expected to be involved. However, since the new Gossip Girl exists in the same universe, there is always a possibility.
Executive producer Josh Schwartz said that he reached out to the entire cast to let them know about the reboot. He said that they were welcome to be involved but didn’t it to be contingent. In essence, anyone from the original cast can choose to be involved.
However, the original Gossip Girl creators are a part of the revival, including the previously mentioned Joshua Safran and Josh Schwartz, and Stephanie Savage.
If you were in love with the show’s iconic fashions, then you’ll be pleased to know that the original costume designer, Eric Daman, is on board as well.
The new characters will also attend the same Upper East Side prep schools as they did in the original (Constance Billard and St. Jude’s).
What Will the New Show Be Like?
Instead of being a blogger, Gossip Girl will be a social media platform. However, that being said, we don’t know many more details.
During this reboot, there will also be much more representation. It will show how social media and New York have changed since the original.
Many of the characters will be queer, and people of color and have more diverse identities than the original. The new storyline will also better represent the diversity of youth in New York City.
The reboot will also have an entirely different concept. So much has changed in 12 years since the original that it’s essential to capture the differences. However, there is still little information about the new concept. All we know is that it’s more intersectional, has a different tone, and feels like an evolution of the story. It will also delve into awareness about wealth and class resentment.
Who Are the New Stars of the Gossip Girl Reboot?
The Gossip Girl reboot stars:
Emily Alyn Lind as Audrey Hope
Emily Alyn Lind, an actress, and musician play Audrey Hope. In the reboot, her mother is an athleisure designer, and she’s friends with the character Julien. Audrey’s character is passionate about classic things, like Audrey Hepburn and Lauren Bacall.
Lind previously has acted in the ABC series Revenge and the CBS medical drama Code Black.
Eli Brown as Obi Bergmann IV
Eli Brown plays Otto “Obie” Bergmann IV. This character is a “rich do-gooder and German import.”
Brown is a singer-songwriter that has previously appeared in Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. He’s also acted in The F**k-It List and Run Hide Fight.
Whitney Peak as Zoya Lott
Whitney Peak plays the character Zoya Lott, akin to the Dan Humphrey of the group, as a sort of outsider or tour guide.
Peak has appeared in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and has had more minor roles in Molly’s Game and the CW’s iZombie.
Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe
Thomas Doherty plays the character Max Wolfe, a “libertine.” Doherty has appeared in Disney’s Descendants 2, HBO’s Catherine the Great, and Hulu’s High Fidelity.
Jordan Alexander as Julien Calloway
Jordan Alexander stars as Julien Calloway, a teen influencer. Alexander is a Canadian actress and singer who has appeared in the series Sacred Lies and Unbury the Biscuit.
Evan Mock as Aki Menzies
Model and skater Evan Mock takes on the role of Akeno “Aki” Menzies. This acting role is his first, as he has devoted much of his time to skateboarding. His character Aki has been in a long-term relationship with Audrey.
Zión Moreno as Luna La
Zión Moreno stars as Luna La. Her acting credits. Include TNT’s Claws, and she has been modeling since she was 19 years old.
Savannah Smith as Monet de Haan
Savannah Smith takes on the role of Monet de Haan. Monet’s character is a student who is attending NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
This role is Smith’s first acting credit. Although she plays a more “Greek-chorus-type role, her character is still fully fleshed out.
Tavi Gevinson as Kate Keller
Tavi Gevinson plays the role of Kate Keller, a character on the more mysterious side.
Gevinson is the founder of the fashion blog Style Rookie and has made appearances on TV shows such as Scream Queens and the CBS reboot of The Twilight Zone.
Some other cast members have been revealed, but they haven’t given any information about their character portraits. These actors include Johnathan Fernandez, Jason Gotay, Adam Chanler-Berat, Laura Benanti, Donna Murphy, and Elizabeth Lail.
