I'm a Gossip Girl fan, but can a reboot with the OG cast actually work in 2023?
Attention Upper East Siders!
Gossip Girl may have left our screens over a decade ago, but that doesn't mean that we've moved on from the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite.
In fact, quite the contrary. We're still speaking Upper East Side lingo, eating frozen yogurt on the Met Steps and trying to recreate Blair Waldorf's iconic style moments at any cost.
And sure, CW gifted us a GG reboot back in 2021. But with a completely new cast (playing frankly unlikeable characters) and a ropey plot where the teachers of Constance Billard brought back Gossip Girl to keep the students in check, it wasn't a patch off the original show. And unsurprisingly it was axed after just two seasons.
But fear not Upper East Siders. Judging by a viral Instagram post, it looks like the OG Gossip Girl might be returning to our lives - with speculation of a potential reboot with the original cast. We're talking Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chase Crawford, Taylor Momsen - the lot.
"Welcome back, Upper East Siders. After a long time away, I see it didn’t take much time for you to dirty up the clean slates I gave you. #GossipGirl", read the post that has since amassed half a million likes.
According to fans, there's only one possible theory - a reboot with the original cast is on its way.
And if that is the case, the internet has questions.
Is Dan Humphrey still Gossip Girl? Are he and Serena happily married? How is Blair's fashion business doing? Will Georgina Sparks be (deservedly) promoted to a core cast member? What of Little J and Vanessa Abrams? And surely we can expect a cameo or two from Nelly Yuki?
The internet is abuzz. And while we welcome the news, there's only one question on our minds - will a Gossip Girl reboot with the OG cast actually work in 2023?
Reminder - the eight main characters are all white, heterosexual and cisgender, with Gossip Girl creators themselves expressing regret over the show's lack of diversity.
"When I look back on Gossip Girl, the only things I regret were not as much representation for people of colour and gay story lines," one of the show's creators Stephanie Savage explained in a past interview with Vulture. "Those are the two things I think we probably could have delved into more deeply."
Only time will tell whether the rumours of a reboot are true, and we sincerely hope that they are. But surely these oversights need to be corrected if this is the case, and major changes need to be made in terms of diversity, inclusivity and visibility going forward.
We will continue to update this story.
Let us know your thoughts @MarieClaireUK.
