PSA: The Gossip Girl reboot will be on BBC!
Gossip Girl, aka our favourite American high school drama has had an *extreme* makeover. And, although we're already missing Serena and Blair, the new cast is clearly going to fill that high-fashion, high-drama hole in our lives. It looks quite like Euphoria, too.
While the original Gossip Girl's identity made zero sense, we're so ready for the reboot to ramp up the drama and, hopefully, have a slightly more convincing finale.
And while the OGs of the Upper East Side might not be featuring in the new series (not even a cameo?) we'll be donning our best head bands and ordering a martini in anticipation of the reboot. Here's what we know about it so far.
When does the Gossip Girl reboot land in the UK?
Big news, people! At the beginning of July 2021, none other than the BBC revealed they would be acquiring the reboot for UK viewers. In a press release, they revealed, "The BBC has acquired the hotly anticipated new drama Gossip Girl as a UK premiere, with it coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year.
"BBC iPlayer will also be home to every episode of the pop culture classic Gossip Girl so far – so as well as the brand new show, fans can enjoy delving into a box set of all six series of the original US teen drama hit, which ran from 2007–2012."
Exciting! The show launches in the US in July 2021, so doesn't sound like we'll have *too* long to wait on this side of the pond.
The secret is out.
New episodes of Gossip Girl will be available to stream July 8 on HBO Max. See you on the steps. XOXO. pic.twitter.com/PuW3a7dBCG— HBO Max (@hbomax) May 28, 2021
Is there a Gossip Girl trailer?
You can watch the official trailer above. In it, we find out Gossip Girl is now an Instagram account, and the wealthy upper Eastsiders being to see their business pasted all over social media. Also, the soundtrack of Frank Ocean's 'Super Rich Kids' could not be more apt.
HBO Max also released a teaser trailer for the Gossip Girl reboot earlier this year. The trailer, which dropped on YouTube on May 28, sees (or rather hears) the return of Kristen Bell as the iconic voice of Gossip Girl, along with all the new stars of the show.
What do we know about the new Gossip Girl characters?
In photos shared on 2nd January 2021, HBO revealed the new cast, who promise to be much more diverse than the original series. First up, we've got Jordan Alexander as Julien Calloway, Savannah Smith as Monet de Haan, Zión Moreno as Luna La, and Thomas Doherty as Max Wolfe.
Then we've got Emily Alyn Lind as Audrey Hope, Tavi Gevinson as Kate Keller, Eli Brown as Otto “Obie” Bergman IV, Evan Mock as Akeno “Aki” Menzies, and Whitney Peak as Zoya Lott.
Writer/producer Joshua Safran previously said of the new characters and upcoming storylines: "It is very much dealing with the way the world looks now, where wealth and privilege come from, and how you handle that."
When did Gossip Girl reboot start filming?
Following delays to production due to the coronavirus pandemic, the reboot officially started filming in early November 2020, with the very first pictures from set in New York City landing on November 5th. On November 10th, more paparazzi photos from the set saw the new stars gather on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as they recreated the iconic setting from the OG show.
What will the Gossip Girl reboot look like?
According to the show's synopsis, "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 prestige series will address just how much social media – and the landscape of New York itself – has changed in the intervening years."
Producers have said the follow up will feature 10 one-hour episodes, appearing on HBO Max. It will be set eight years after the original (which ran from 2007 - 2012) and feature a new generation of privileged teens in New York.
Original Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage will serve as executive producers while Joshua Safran, who also produced the first Gossip Girl, is writing the script.
Will any of the original cast be in the Gossip Girl reboot?
It's not looking likely, but the show's co-creator Josh Schwartz told The Wrap they did reach out to the likes of Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick just in case they were keen.
"We reached out to everybody in the cast before the announcement came and let them know that it was not contingent upon their involvement, that it was going to be a new generation of Upper Eastsiders attending the school," he explained. "But, obviously, we loved working with everybody in that cast and it was such an important moment in our lives and six wonderful seasons with them that if anybody wanted to come back, we would absolutely love to have them."
Blake Lively also discussed a revival with Variety in April 2017, saying she wouldn't rule the idea of returning as Serena out, but that she wasn't overly keen.
"It sort of all depends," she explained. "Would I do seven years of the show? No, because it's hard work and I've got my babies, and I don't want to be away from them that much. But I've just learned in life you never say never.
"I'm looking to do something that I haven't done yet, not something that I did. But would I do that? Who knows — if it was good, if it made sense. We had so much fun shooting and living and working in New York City."
However, from the newly released trailer, we know one key cast member will definitely be back. Kristen Bell has signed on to reprise her role as GG's ultimate gossip queen - the omniscient narrator.
"Kristen Bell has always been and will always be the voice of Gossip Girl," Schwartz, Savage and Safran said in a statement.
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