Next month marks eight years since Gossip Girl left our screens. Eight whole years without Leighton Meester regularly appear on TV (cast that queen!). For those eagerly anticipating HBO Max’s 2021 reboot of the show, we bring good news: 16 months after it was first announced, Gossip Girl’s new cast are finally on set. And they’re out in full force on the steps of The Met.
Our queen Tavi Gevinson looks like she means business, styled in a neckerchief and burgundy handbag by the Gossip Girl costume designer. Scottish-born former Disney kid Thomas Doherty sits behind her. Eli Brown and Jordan Alexander, the former known for appearing in the Pretty Little Liars spin-off, are pictured embracing (is this our first hint at the show’s romance?). 18-year-old Brooklynite Emily Alyn Lind is, to date, the only character with a backstory and a name. She plays Audrey, a girl who’s just about to call off her LTR (that’s long term relationship btw), and explore the city on her own. Pictured next to her in the shots are skateboarder and i-D star Evan Mock, newcomer Savannah Smith, and star of Netflix’s Mexican drama Control Z, Zion Moreno.
The new look confirms what we already knew: the cast of this reboot are all ridiculously fit and channel a lot more gen Z ‘cool’ energy than the old cast of millennials. Are we mentally prepared for this much simping? Absolutely not. Fingers crossed the reboot sheds some of those old school problematic tropes, though. We’re hopeful, considering how much time has passed and how switched on some of the new cast members are, and rumours of the show involving queer storylines too.
The series is obviously still in the early stages of filming, pushed back mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic and only kicking off formally on 2 November — but don’t be surprised if this show manages to make an appearance at some point next year. With this and Euphoria lined up, we are fully expecting 2021 to be meltdown mode for fans of teen debauchery, and by ‘fans’ we mean ‘us’. Please don’t talk to us.
Check out some more shots from the set below.