Who Will Narrate 'Gossip Girl' Reboot?
The new Gossip Girl series is set to premiere exclusively on HBO Max on July 8. Luckily, Bell will be reprising her role as the anonymous narrator for the new class of Upper East Siders. The series will follow a bunch of private schoolers in the new age of social media. Creator Josh Schwartz told Entertainment Tonight that the show essentially depended on Bell's approval. "It wasn't really a conversation, Josh and Stephanie were like, if she doesn't want to do it, let's all walk away," he revealed. "We went up to her and she was like, 'Of course I want to do it.' And then, yeah, there's no Gossip Girl without Kristen. I mean, it's not just the voice, it's her whole being." Schwartz added that "when you hear her voice, then you're like, 'There it is.'" The new cast of characters is just as excited for Bell's return as the crew. Tavi Gevinson, who will portray Katie Keller, is a fan of her work. "I mean, thank God, she's the iconic voiceover ... like, any other voice would be like, 'Eh,'" Gevinson said. Meanwhile, Emily Alyn Lynd, will play Audrey Hope, a girl who has been in a long-term relationship who is questioning what else is out there. Lynd said that having Bell return was a necessity. "Like, how can you have Gossip Girl without Kristen Bell?" she questioned. "She's Gossip Girl, even if she's not Gossip Girl, she's Gossip Girl. We need Kristen Bell, are you kidding me?" "Kristen Bell, like, swoon! We were all so excited because it, really wouldn't have been the same without her and I don't think it could have happened, so shout-out to Kristen Bell," Jordan Alexander added. Alexander will play Julien Calloway, who has been described as a "wielding influence." Gossip Girl co-creator Joshua Safran told The Daily Beast that there will be some cameos during Season 1 but not series regulars. We made a decision early on  and I was nervous about this decision, but definitely came to believe it was right  that the audience would never accept these characters if they were in the shadow of the original characters. Theyre already in the shadow of the original characters, but if the original characters were there with them in some way, why would you want to briefly get to know Zoya if you suddenly can see Nate?" he explained.