Meet the New 90210

Wed., Mar. 19, 2008 3:41 PM PDT by Sarah Hall

Details are falling into place for the CW's Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff.

Veronica Mars scribe Rob Thomas has been tapped to pen the updated version of the teen soap, which will center on the Mills family, transplants to the posh neighborhood from the Midwest.

According to a breakdown of the pilot episode, paternal figure Harry Mills (aka the Jim Walsh of the series) grew up in the area but moved to St. Louis after graduating from Beverly Hills High. However, he's forced to move his family back to his childhood hometown after his mother, an aging '70s actress, begins succumbing to alcoholism.

His wife, Celia (aka Cindy Walsh), is a former Olympic medalist who now works as a personal trainer. She is considered the stricter of the two parents, while Harry is more of an easygoing type.

The couple's biological daughter, Annie (aka Brenda Walsh), is into acting and alternative music and longs to fit into the cool crowd at school.

She seeks plenty of emotional support from her adopted brother, Dixon (aka Brandon Walsh), who's the same age and was taken in by her family six years earlier. In a departure from the Caucasian leanings of the original series, the network is looking to cast a black or mixed race actor in the role, according to E! Online TV's blog.

The character of Dixon won't be the only minority featured on the show. In a nod to the ethnicity of approximately 40 percent of the real Beverly Hills High student body, aspiring journalist Navid Shirazi (aka Andrea Zuckerman), who runs the school's TV newscast, is of Persian descent.

Finally, there are the Silver siblings, Daphne and Max, who mysteriously live in a mansion by themselves while their parents apparently are off on an extended cruise. It's unclear whether the twosome are any relation to original 90210 character David Silver (Brian Austin Green).

The network is reportedly targeting a fall premiere for the series, and producers have been given just two weeks to complete the casting process.

Chances are good that some familiar faces may turn up in the new show, as both Tori Spelling and Ian Ziering have already said they would be happy to participate.

For additional scoop, check out Watch with Kristin.