Summary
Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick explains why he believes that a revival with the original cast has to happen. Westwick played Chuck Bass in the hit CW show, with the character initially being introduced as a villain before becoming one of the main protagonists. In the Gossip Girl series finale, in 2012, Chuck and Blair (Leighton Meester) get married and offer a happy ending to the fan-favorite couple.
Per Deadline, while speaking at the Red Sea Festival in Jeddah, Westwick talked about why he feels a revival needs to happen. The actor mentions that he has some ideas in mind regarding Chuck. He also compares a television revival to something like a boxing match, in terms of the need to respond to the audience drama for the original Gossip Girl. Read his quote below:
I think there’s a new story to tell around the Chuck Bass character. I’ve actually got a storyline in mind that could work. You know what made me think about this? I get stopped quite a lot on the street for pictures and people want to talk about Gossip Girl. There’s Gossip Girl fanpages, and I’m like, “Why wouldn’t we give the fans what they want?” If this was boxing, or if this was something else, we’d make the fight. We’d give the fans what they want, and I think there’s an argument that that could be applied here.
Reviving Gossip Girl Is Unlikely
The co-creators of Gossip Girl, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, have shot down the possibility of bringing back the teen drama. Schwartz in particular pointed to the fact that there was already a short-lived spinoff of the show for Max. Though the spinoff largely focused on new characters, it included references to original characters and even a few guest appearances by supporting actors, including Michelle Trachtenberg’s Georgina Sparks in season 2.
Though it debuted with a lot of fanfare, the new Gossip Girl failed to resonate. It was quietly canceled after two seasons, with critics and audiences both agreeing that it failed to live up to the original’s early promise. Schwartz has been similarly adamant about his lack of interest in reviving The OC, understanding that shows become a cultural juggernaut in large part because of the time in which they debut. Bringing back to a different era essentially takes away the intangible factors that propel a piece of pop culture to success.
Chuck Bass was a divisive character even during the show’s run, presented as the romantic hero even though he attempted to sexually assault Jenny and Serena in his earliest moments on Gossip Girl. Westwick, who has faced his own assault allegations in recent years, had his breakout role during a time when a teen drama about privileged high school students had the right ingredients to break out. There is no guarantee that trying to revisit that story, or even to evolve it, would have quite the same resonance.
Source: Deadline
Release Date: 2021-07-08
Cast: Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Eli Brown
Genres: Drama, Romance
Rating: TV-14
Seasons: 2
Season List: Gossip Girl – Season 1, Gossip Girl – Season 2
Writers: Joshua Safran
Streaming Service(s): Max
Showrunner: Joshua Safran
