The 'Gossip Girl' Reboot: Everything We Know So Far
Hello Upper East Siders! If you're anything like this writer, chances are you've been thinking about the Gossip Girl reboot nearly every day since we first learned the beloved show was coming back last year. Maybe you're more of a Friends person, but if you just can't get enough information about the grand return of Manhattan's society teens, you have come to the right place.
A lot of developments have happened in regards to the Gossip Girl reboot, but even so, there's so much to learn. Will original characters like Blair Waldorf, Serena Van Der Woodsen, and Chuck Bass return in any capacity? How will the show adapt its high-society drama from the blogger era to Gen Z? New details are coming out almost as fast as juicy blog posts did on the original show, and we'll be keeping this post updated so you can learn all about the new Gossip Girl in one place. Read on to learn all about the cast, what the plot might look like, and how the Gossip Girl reboot will reference the iconic original while keeping it fresh. You know you love me. XOXO
The show is set to premiere on HBO Max some time in 2020 (we hope).
We still don't have a premiere date for the Gossip Girl reboot, but we do know it's a major part of the new HBO Max streaming service, which launches in May 2020. IMDB claims the show starts some time this year as well, but that doesn't seem to be a guarantee as casting is still underway and current social distancing measures have put pretty much every production process on hold. We would be excited to see a fall premiere date, but we'll have to wait and see.
The original creators are developing the new show.
With Gossip Girl being such an iconic show, the bar is high for a reboot. If you were worried about how it might look, rest assured that original creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are executive producing the reboot, and Joshua Safran, an original writer and producer, is in charge of writing the new episodes. This means wherever the story goes, it comes from the minds of those who made Gossip Girl a hit in the first place, so hopefully everything will feel right.
Emily Alyn Lind and Tavi Gevinson are just two of the new cast members who have been announced.
After nearly eight months of waiting, HBO finally began announcing the new Gossip Girl cast earlier this month. We first learned that Lind will play Audrey, who is in a long-term relationship but is wondering what else is out there. Other announcements that soon followed include Rookie founder Gevinson, who we can only imagine will play a character much like her real-life self, as well as Thomas Doherty (the new Chuck Bass?), Zion Moreno, Adam Chanler-Berat, Whitney Peak, Eli Brown, Johnathan Fernandez, and Jason Gotay.
Representation is a priority in the Gossip Girl reboot.
Safran is developing the story with a modern audience in mind. After the original characters were mostly white and straight, the head writer has shared that the reboot will feature more racial diversity, in addition to "a lot of queer content," as he confirmed at Vulture Festival in November 2019.
It's unclear whether most original cast members will be part of the new show.
The original Gossip Girl brought a generation of young actors to fame, including Leighton Meester, Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, and Chace Crawford, to name a few. And while some of them have loosely commented on the reboot, it's unconfirmed whether any will return, though Schwartz has invited them to come back in some way, and Crawford has expressed interest. In any case, the show is set to revolve around its new generation, and original cast members seem more likely to make cameos to show fans where their characters have landed today.
However, we do know that Kristen Bell will be returning to narrate the show.
Confirming the creators have some continuity in mind, Schwartz, Savage, and Safran confirmed that Bell will remain the voice of Gossip Girl in a joint statement to TV Line. While the original series did end with us finding out who Gossip Girl actually is, it wouldn't be the same to continue without her voice heightening all the onscreen drama, and fans are sure to feel the excitement the moment they hear Bell's first line on the reboot.
Still, don't expect there to be an actual Gossip Girl this time around.
During the original run, many were obsessed with gossip columns, and blogging still felt relatively new. Now that the world has moved on (and we know who Gossip Girl is), the creators are going in a different direction for the Gossip Girl reboot, as confirmed by Schwartz to E! News. Instead, the show will explore universal and oft-self-imposed social media surveillance (seems very Foucauldian to me), and while that seems pretty accurate for 2020, it would be fun to see some kind of mysterious source spilling the tea, like a high-society equivalent of Diet Prada.
The cast still attends Constance Billard.
Even with a very different digital concept shaking up the drama, rest assured the new Gossip Girl characters are living in the 2020 version of the original setting. The new crop of teens still attends the Constance Billard School for Girls on New York's Upper East Side, though it's likely that more than just the next-gen Humphreys will live in Brooklyn. Expect plenty of lunches on the Met steps paired with weekend hangouts at the hottest spots in Williamsburg.
Time on the Gossip Girl reboot has passed at the same rate as in real life, so expect a 2020 feel.
Just like last time, the show's details should closely align with surrounding contemporary culture. Chances are, some characters have major social media followings—perhaps one new Gossip Girl lead is a foodie, one has lip fillers for the selfie factor, and one films TikTok challenges around a luxurious townhouse. Designer AirPods cases could have a presence on the show, the new Dan Humphrey probably carries a Telfar bag, and everyone has easy access to Carbone, Soho House, and The Blond. But will there be Instagrammable waffles?
There will be at least 10 hour-long episodes.
HBO Max has ordered a 10-episode season so far, which is in line with popular shows on other streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. If all is a success with the new Gossip Girl (which seems likely, given the original series' dedicated fanbase), the network could end up ordering more seasons once the episodes start to air. With a cast full of exciting young talents, here's hoping we get to see character arcs as long and developed as with the likes of Serena, Blair, and Chuck.
The original Gossip Girl is unfortunately leaving Netflix ahead of the reboot.
Due to the new series happening on HBO Max, original episodes will be headed there as well. The switch seems to be likely to happen around the new platform's May 2020 launch date, so OG fans should either get to rewatching their favorite moments now or plan to add a new streaming service to their collection. It seems likely more will go with the latter, as that $15 per month also brings the Gossip Girl reboot and all the other HBO content you've ever wanted.
The plot has a mysterious twist.
Safran hinted at a major twist when discussing the show's modern feel, but what is that, exactly? That's one secret he'll never tell, at least for now. Sigh.
The show's original costume designer Eric Daman is officially returning for the reboot.
Meaning we can expect the same high quality style as in the original. While Emily Alyn Lind might not wear Blair Waldorf's staple bright tights, we can trust that the GG reboot will be delivering looks, which will probably be better suited to today's audience. Those Upper East Siders know how to dress, but just like any 2000s show, there could be some questionable fashion moments. Let's look forward to none of those in the reboot.
