'Gossip Girl' reboot will include cameos from original cast members

Washington [US], July 2 : While fans are waiting with bated breath for the upcoming 'Gossip Girl' reboot, which is set to release in a few days, excitement over what the new generation of upper East-siders have in store has truly piqued.
The new 'Gossip Girl' is different from its predecessor in more ways than one, but viewers can still expect to see some familiar faces from the original series throughout the reboot, reported People magazine.
Joshua Safran, who created the new 'Gossip Girl' for HBO Max, spoke to The Daily Beast about what the audience can anticipate when it comes to cameos from the original cast.
"The decision was: Let's get season 1 under our belt, and should we get season 2, we'll have the chance to bring in cameos that are more than glorified cameos but actually give them storylines," Safran, who is also an executive producer on the show, said in the interview.
"Hopefully we'll get there and will reach out to the cast if that time comes and see if they'll want to come. There are some cameos in season 1 from people on the original show, but not the series regulars," he continued.
Explaining the reason behind not yet having series regulars from the original iconic show return, Safran said that he was "nervous" to have reached this conclusion early on, but has since realised it's what was "right" for the series.
"The audience would never accept these new characters if they were in the shadow of the original characters," he continued.
He added, "They're already in the shadow of the original characters, but if the original characters were there with them in some way, why would you want to briefly get to know Zoya if you suddenly can see Nate?"
"Also, this show is much bigger than the first show. It's got 16 series regulars instead of seven, and 22 recurring instead of 12, so because the show is bigger, there isn't enough screen time. If Blair showed up for two scenes, you'd say, 'I want more Blair,'" he added.
Based on author Cecily von Ziegesar's book series of the same name, 'Gossip Girl' previously ran for six seasons on The CW from 2007 to 2012.
The insanely popular series focussed on the drama-filled lives of rich teens living in New York's Upper East Side. It starred Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Taylor Momsen, Kelly Rutherford, Matthew Settle and Jessica Szohr.
Plans for a 'Gossip Girl' reboot at HBO Max were announced in 2019.
"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," HBO Max said in a statement at the time, according to Variety.
"The prestige series will address just how much social media -- and the landscape of New York itself -- has changed in the intervening years," the statement added.
And although Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner made a cameo in season four, Safran confirmed that the Trump family "would not be at home" in the new series.
"Definitely not! Definitely not. And at the time, they were just sorta-celebrities. Trump was a bad real estate mogul, but I don't think any of us saw what was coming. I think celebrity has shifted. Julien is an influencer, and when you look at influencer culture, it's not often about who you're hanging out with," he told The Daily Beast.
"The cameos here are more about the world that they enter, not who goes to them. In 2007, the kids weren't famous like kids are famous now. Gossip Girl was talking about them, but if they went to a party, Jared and Ivanka were there -- it wasn't that Jared and Ivanka were there to see them. The world has shifted a little bit to where if Julien goes to a party, there are celebrities that are going to want to be at that party because Julien is there. This group of kids are more magnets than the first group of kids were inside their worlds," he continued.
He added that "this represents where New York is now."
The new series stars Whitney Peak, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Jordan Alexander, Thomas Doherty, Eli Brown, Zion Moreno, Savannah Smith and Tavi Gevinson.

Among those from the original show that are set to make a return is Kristen Bell, who notably narrated.
Teasing what's to come, Bell explained last month how the two shows differ and said a "twist" is in the new series' debut episode.
"On Gossip Girl, the new show is really cool because it talks all about how social media has changed us, and it's more risque because it's on HBO Max, and there's a twist at the end of episode one that's really different," the actor said on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'.
She added, "So that's fun. But that's much more of like, a character and then with Frozen, I guess it's also a character, 'cause it's a little more bubbly than I am."
The 'Gossip Girl' reboot will premiere on July 8 on HBO Max.