Upper East Siders—and gossipmongers everywhere—are poised for the Gossip Girl reboot, which will premiere on HBO Max on 8 July. As the first trailer drops, here’s a recap of everything revealed so far about the series.
https://youtu.be/jsah5yCzh-U
Is there a trailer for the Gossip Girl reboot?
Yes, and—no surprises—it’s full of beautiful, rich people acting like sociopaths. The two minute and 10 second clip offers our first real glimpse of HBO Max’s revival of the Noughties hit, and its massive production budget appears to have been put to good use (see the fully-fledged Cruella-style runway at 1:26). “Our group of friends have known each other since we were babies, we have trust, and history,” Emily Alyn Lind’s Audrey Hope says breathily in a voiceover as the trailer begins. “We own this school,” Jordan Alexander’s Julien Calloway adds, sounding like Rizzo giving some sort of motivational speech to the Pink Ladies outside Rydell High. Enter Whitney Peak’s Zoya Lott, an out-of-towner who basically fills the role of Lindsay Lohan’s Cady Heron in Mean Girls, infiltrating the Met Steps gang before apparently being snapped by Gossip Girl in a compromising position with Julien’s boyfriend, whose name is—wait for it—Otto “Obie” Bergmann IV (Eli Brown). Also of note: in lieu of a blog, Gossip Girl, we’re told, is now “an anonymous Instagram account” that spies on the pupils of St Jude’s and Constance Billard. PS: I tip my hat to the creative genius who decided to set the trailer to Frank Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids”.
Where will the Gossip Girl reboot be set?
Like the original series, the reboot will take place primarily on the Upper East Side, with much of the action revolving around the fictional private schools of Constance Billard and St Jude’s. On 26 January, the official Gossip Girl Instagram teased shots of the buildings’ courtyards and streetwear-inspired uniforms. The post’s sign-off? “See you in the hallway.”
Who’s behind the Gossip Girl reboot?
Joshua Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the creators of the original TV adaptation, are serving as executive producers on the new series alongside Joshua Safran, an executive producer of Gossip Girl 1.0, who returned to write and executive produce the show’s revival.
What is the release date for the Gossip Girl reboot?
After coronavirus-related production delays, Gossip Girl will finally hit screens on 8 July.
Where will the Gossip Girl reboot pick up?
Gossip Girl 2.0 will pick up eight years after Dan Humphrey shuttered the original Gossip Girl blog.
What will the Gossip Girl reboot be about?
According to a statement from producers, the Gossip Girl reboot will introduce a new generation of New York private school teens to the “social surveillance of Gossip Girl”, addressing “just how much social media–and the landscape of New York itself–has changed in the intervening years”. As seen in the trailer, Gossip Girl is no longer a blog but rather an Instagram account, where members of Manhattan’s elite submit photographs of each other making morally bankrupt choices.
Will the original cast be in the Gossip Girl reboot?
It remains to be seen whether the “extension” of Gossip Girl will feature cameos from the rest of the original trust fund babies. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester, who starred as Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf respectively, seem to have similar views on the matter, with neither ruling out the idea of appearing in some capacity.
There is some good news, though: Kristen Bell has officially returned as the disembodied voice of Gossip Girl. Bell’s signature sign-off, “You know you love me, XOXO, Gossip Girl,” features in all 121 episodes of the first series. As producers Schwartz, Savage and Safran put it: “Kristen Bell has always been, and will always be, the voice of Gossip Girl.”
Who is in the new cast of the Gossip Girl reboot, then?
In the spring of 2020, Emily Alyn Lind was unveiled as leading lady Audrey, the reboot’s answer to Serena van der Woodsen. Meanwhile, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Whitney Peak and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists’ Eli Brown have starring roles, as do newcomer Savannah Smith and singer and actor Jordan Alexander. Lethal Weapon’s Jonathan Fernandez and Broadway’s Jason Gotay will appear as secondary characters throughout the 10-episode run. Perhaps the most interesting addition to the cast? Original influencer Tavi Gevinson, whose pre-Instagram fashion blog, Style Rookie, became a phenomenon–and propelled the then 11-year-old to prime spots on the front row at fashion week. A series of character portraits, released by HBO at the beginning of 2021, also provide a first detailed glimpse of the new generation of Upper East Siders.
