Shadow And Act has learned that newcomer Savannah Smith has landed a major role in the upcoming reboot of Gossip Girl at HBO Max. It is the first role for Smith, who is currently a student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

While her exact role is unknown, sources confirmed the news that Smith’s role is a lead one and that her character is believed to be in the cool clique at school. Smith joins the other series leads, including another Black actress, Whitney Peak, as well as Emily Alyn Lind, Tavi Gevinson, Eli Brown, Johnathan Fernandez and Jason Gotay. Thomas Doherty, Adam Chanler-Berat and Zion Moreno also star.

This news comes after executive producer Joshua Safran revealed last year that the new series would have non-white leads.

“This time around the leads are nonwhite,” Safran said. “There will also be a lot of queer content on this show. It is very much dealing with the way the world looks now, where wealth and privilege come from, and how you handle that.”

The teen drama, which ran for six seasons on the CW from 2007 to 2012, focused on the lives of privileged teenagers living on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Despite its popularity, a core criticism of Gossip Girl was its lack of inclusion when it came to characters of color and queer characters on the show.

Production on the series is currently delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

READ MORE:

‘Gossip Girl’ Reboot At HBO Max Will Have Non-White Leads

Watch Issa Rae pitch her concept for a ‘90210’ or ‘Gossip Girl’ for black teens

 

Photo: HBO Max

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