'Gossip Girl' Sequel: Kristen Bell Set to Return in Iconic Role
Kristen Bell is back in her iconic role in the "Gossip Girl."
The 39-year-old "The Good Place" star will be returning to the HBO Max reboot of the popular CW show. She will again serve as the narrator for this new take, reprising her role which she held throughout the 121 episodes of the six-season original series.
"Kristen Bell has always been and will always be the voice of 'Gossip Girl,'" said the producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage in a joint statement to TVLine this Thursday.
Schwartz and Savage will both return as the executive producers of the new "Gossip Girl." It will be written by the original run's former executive producer Joshua Safran.
Bell's "Gossip Girl" deal came as the actress wrapped up the final season of her hit series "The Good Place."
Last July, Schwartz clarified that this new series will not be a reboot, but rather more of a sequel. Being set in the same universe, it gives the previous stars of the show's original run an opportunity to appear and participate on the show.
"We've reached out to all of them to let them know it was happening, and we would love for them to be involved if they want to be involved," the producer said.
Schwartz, however, did not want to require them to reprise the roles they have already played for six years.
"If they felt like they were good with that, we wanted to respect that. But obviously, it would be great to see them again," he added.
According to Deadline, the logline of the new "Gossip Girl" will be set eight years after the original website went dark. A new batch of New Yorker teens studying in private schools would be introduced to the social surveillance of "Gossip Girl." Throughout the series, the changes in social media, as well as in the landscape of New York throughout intervening years would be addressed.
The original "Gossip Girl" ran through 2007 to 2012, during which the use of social media has been beginning to rise.
Beyond its huge impact on the television scene, "Gossip Girl" has also impacted young women when it comes to their fashion choices. In 2008, The New York Times reported that the said show has become "one of the biggest influences on how young women spend."
The series also spawned a "Gossip Girl" fashion line courtesy of Anna Sui in 2009. A cosmetics line was also introduced by Birchbox thorugh Amy Tagliamont and Jennifer Johnson. It has been estimated that in 2007, a whopping amount of $28 million in ad dollars have been shelled out to "Gossip Girl" by their various sponsors.
