Image via Refinery29
Spotted on the steps of The Met… Gossip Girl’s cast in action filming the first season of the beloved series’s reboot. The first look into the reboot reveals a more diverse cast than the mostly white first edition of the series, as well as many très chic on-screen fashion moments to come. Here’s everything we know about the Gossip Girl reboot so far.
The OG Cast Isn’t Returning
All-new characters will be introduced in the Gossip Girl reboot, so nobody is coming on to play Serena or Blair 2.0. However, we’re sure that there will be new frenemies to stan in the upcoming reboot. The new cast members include some familiar faces, like Revenge’s Emily Alyn Lind and the Louis Vuitton model and skateboarder Evan Mock. Kristen Bell is confirmed to come back as the voice of Gossip Girl and is, at present, the only former cast member set to return to the show. However, Penn Badgley, who played Dan Humphrey (and Gossip Girl) on the show, said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that he would “love to contribute [to the reboot] in a meaningful way.”
Just because they don’t have any cameos planned doesn’t mean that our faves have disappeared from the face of the Upper East Side; Insider reports that the new characters will make references to the past. Our fingers are crossed that we will get to know what S and B are up to now, eight years later.
The Show’s Creators Promise Diverse Representation
The showrunner, Josh Safran, stated at Vulture Festival in 2019 that “there was not a lot of representation the first time around on the show.” He commented on his experience behind the scenes, saying, “I was the only gay writer I think the entire time I was there.” He mentioned how “this time around the leads are nonwhite” and that there will be more queer representation on the show. When fans on Twitter asked how much queer representation they could expect, Safran replied that the new Gossip Girl is going to be “very, very queer.”
“Gossip Girl” Has Been Replaced By Social Media
Harper’s Bazaar published the official summary for the series, which states that the show takes place “eight years after the original website went dark,” and that “a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. The prestige series will address just how much social media—and the landscape of New York itself—has changed in the intervening years.”
Safran also stated that the Gossip Girl reboot “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.” Any fan of the first edition of Gossip Girl knows how shocking those twists can be, from Serena’s murderous past to the final reveal of Dan as Gossip Girl. We can’t wait for all of the showdowns, scandals, and betrayals to come, all set to the gorgeous backdrop of NYC.
There is Going to be Killer Fashion
Many of the characters on the show are going to be junior high school students at Constance Billard School for girls, so we can expect to see more of the accessorized school uniforms that we loved so much in the OG Gossip Girl. We know that the original costume designer, Eric Daman, is working on the reboot, so the looks are guaranteed to be fierce.
Everyday wear and eveningwear looks abound in the reboot as well. Images have surfaced of a preppy Tavi Gevinson wearing a pink collared shirt with a cream sweater vest and rosy pants. We’ve also seen Whitney Peak in a glimmering sequined orange dress and Jordan Alexander killing it in black latex trousers with Christian Louboutin pumps. More photos suggest that there might be a fundraising gala in the works, as Emily Alyn Lind was caught in an inky smooth dress with a white coat. Most tantalizingly, an image surfaced of Jordan Alexander, Savannah Lee Smith, and Zion Moreno walking the streets in full-on gowns from Christopher John Rogers and Giambattista Valli. Could they be the new trio to Blair and Serena’s former duo?
Production Has Already Started
Insider told us the Gossip Girl reboot was meant to air in Fall 2020, but production was held up because of Covid-19. Now, the show is expected to air sometime in 2021, on HBO Max instead of the CW. We can expect to get ten episodes this season, according to Glamour UK. Until the new Gossip Girl airs, you can follow the show’s Instagram @gossipgirl for updates.
XOXO,
Think Glamor