Whitney Peak instagram, David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images, Bruce Glikas/WireImage, Emma McIntyre/Getty ImagesMeet the new kings and queens of the Upper East Side.
Emily Alyn Lind, Whitney Peak, Eli Brown, Johnathan Fernandez, and Jason Gotay have been cast in lead roles in the new Gossip Girl, which is heading to HBO Max. Lind will play Audrey, a teen in a long term relationship who begins to wonder what more could be out there, but no info is available on the other characters just yet.
The series, from original creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and written by Joshua Safran, is set eight years after the end of the original Gossip Girl, and will introduce a new generation of New York private school kids to a new version of Gossip Girl, one who isn't just one person behind a computer. This time, Gossip Girl is all of us.
However, Gossip Girl still has one voice, and it's the voice of Kristen Bell, who's returning as the narrator.
While the story won't be focusing on Blair or Serena, the show takes place in the same world where they once ruled, meaning we can all dream of a Blake Lively or Leighton Meester appearance at any time, theoretically. (Though not any time soon.)
The new series will be 10 episodes, and Schwartz and Savage were most convinced to do the new series when they heard Safran's plans to "subvert the original paradigm" of the first show.
Lind is known for playing Ariel on Code Black, and for playing young Amanda Clarke on Revenge. She also appeared in the movie Doctor Sleep in 2019.
She confirmed the news of her casting on Instagram with the caption, "seen u soon upper east side, xoxo,"
Whitney Peak played Judith Blackwood on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Eli Brown was on Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. Johnathan Fernandez is a comedian known for his role on Lethal Weapon, and Jason Gotay is a Broadway vet.
Lind's casting was announced first, followed by the addition of her four new costars.
HBO Max, which will include titles from all over Warner media, will be making its debut in May. We'll have to wait a bit for the new Gossip Girl to arrive on the streaming service, but in the meantime, we'll have the original series, along with all episodes of Friends and the new Friends reunion, to keep us occupied.