The juggernaut television series that brought us Blair, Serena, Chuck, Nate, Dan, Jenny & Co., as well as entered into our lexicon XOXO is returning in May via the new streaming service, HBO Max. The 10 hour-long episodes are still set on Manhattan's Upper East Side at the fictional prep-school Constance Billard for Girls and St. Jude's for Boys, but according to the creators/producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, who also brought us the original which ran from 2007 to 2012, this iteration of Gossip Girl is for Gen-Z and totally 2020.
Of the many changes, perhaps the most interesting one is that no longer will people be wondering who the elusive Gossip Girl is. Schwartz says the idea now is that we are all Gossip Girl. "We are all purveyors of our own social media surveillance state."
The Official Summary
"Eight years after the original website went dark, a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. The iconic series will address just how much social media--and the landscape of New York itself--has changed in the intervening years."
Just a reminder: Back in the day the gang communicated via Sidekick cell phones, there was no Uber, and inexplicably no one drank the already ubiquitous Starbucks. The show was selfie-and-YouTube-free. There was no such thing as an "influencer." Looking back it seems like the stone age, but the show certainly won't be lingering in its roots -- this reboot is truly bringing it into our brave new social media-driven world.
Kristen Bell Returns
"What a fun thing to bring back. It was an easy 'yes'," said Mrs. Dax Shepard of her latest gig. "Kristen Bell has always been and will always be the voice of the Gossip Girl," stated the producers, and we couldn't agree more.
How'd she get the job in the first place? Her other CW show, Veronica Mars was over so the hard-working actress called the head of the studio and said: "I’m outta work and you have a VO on this teenager show, can I just do it?” Since then, the mother of two, who made a cameo in the finale of the original show, has starred in The Good Place, Frozen and Frozen 2.
The Original Cast Won't
Although Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester, and Ed Westwick have an open invitation from the producers to return anytime they want to. So far, none have accepted, but have intimated that cameos are always a possibility.
Since the show ended, Penn is now the star of Netflix's You. Blake has become a movie star (her latest is the recent hit The Rythm Section) as well as the wife of Ryan Reynolds and mother of three. Taylor Momsen has quit acting and is now focused on her music career as the frontwoman for her rock band, The Pretty Reckless.
It's All About Diversity
Sarah Aubrey of HBO Max praised the first scripts adding: "one of the benefits of having the original creators involved is they know the essential elements of the show and want to bring a modern lens to it."
Writer and executive producer Joshua Safran confirms that the new storyline will better reflect the diversity of youth in New York City with diverse lead roles. "There was not a lot of representation the first time around on the show." He adds that the show "is very much dealing with the way the world looks now, where wealth and privilege come from and how you handle that. The thing I can't say is there is a twist and that all relates to the twist."
And It's LGBTQ Friendly
Let those ROYGBIV flags fly. It's 13 years after the original and in realtime, so according to Safran, this go 'round will be, "a more inclusive show, a more queer show, looking at how social media has changed in the 12 years since the original."
About being LGBTQ he also shared: "I was the only gay writer I think the entire time I was there. Even when I went to private school in New York in the 90s the school didn't necessarily reflect what was on Gossip Girl, so this time around there's a lot of queer content."
Starring Emily Alyn Lind
"Audrey" is her character's name, but this 20-year-old actress looks like she could be the new Serena. Or will she surprise us and be the new Blair? She's also a musician (shades of Momsen) and will play the lead in the new series. Her impressive resume includes Doctor Sleep, Revenge, Code Black, Days of Our Lives, All My Children, Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-O, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Babysitter, just to name a few. She also strongly believes in giving back and is an ardent supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
This one-time child star (she began her career at age 6) is a middle sister, born to a producer father and actress mother. She lives in Los Angeles with her parents.
As Well As Eli Brown & Johnathan Fernandez
The 19-year-old Eli is best known for his television work on Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists and Spinning Out. The singer-songwriter from Oregon has two upcoming films: The F**k-It List and Run Hide Fight.
Born in Brooklyn 46 years ago, Johnathan is famous for his litany of TV roles, most recently starring on the Fox series Lethal Weapon; he's also guest-starred on HBO's Girls, Younger with Hilary Duff, CBS's Bull and Adam Ruins Everything. Also a comedian, the former regular on UCB Comedy Originals is also a panelist on @midnight.
Also Jason Gotay & Whitney Peak
This handsome man may be 30-years-old but his youthful looks have him fitting in just fine with the other newbie castmates. NYC native Jason Gotay is an experienced actor whose credits boast stints on Broadway Bring It On and Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark! He also appeared alongside Allison Williams in the TV broadcast of Peter Pan Live!
Born and raised in Vancouver by way of Uganda (where she lived until age 10) the 17-year-old Whitney Peak is credited with roles in Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut, the Oscar-nominated film Molly's Game.
Not To Mention Tavi Gevinson & Adam Chanler-Berat
The 24-year-old Tavi Gevinson is a fashionista and founded Style Rookie when she was 12. A Chicago native, she has appeared in Enough Said with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini, and the TV shows Parenthood, The Simpsons, Scream Queens and Neo Yokio.
Originally from West Nyack, New York, this 33-year-old Broadway vet Adam Chanler-Berat (Next to Normal; Peter and the Starcatcher; Amelie; Saint Joan) also boasts a long list of television credits such as NCIS: New Orleans, The Code, Elementary, Veep, Delivery Man with Vince Vaughn, The Good Wife, and Law & Order.
And Finally Thomas Doherty & Zion Moreno
Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, Thomas Doherty of Disney's Descendants 2 & 3 began acting at age 5. The singer has a list of television credits that include The Lodge, HBO's Catherine the Great, Hulu's High Fidelity, and Legacies. In 2017, he was named one of the 50 hottest boys in the world by Vogue magazine.
Former Mexican-American model Zion Moreno was born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Last year, the 20-year-old transitioned into acting, appearing in the horror film K-12 and on TNT's Claws.