The makers of ‘‘Gossip Girl’’ are planning a spinoff series set at a girls boarding school.
Producers are hoping to expand the popular CW show by either giving co-star Taylor Momsen her own series or by introducing a new character in the fall who is later spun off.
Regardless of which actor is used, the story would likely draw on the arc of Momsen’s character Jenny Humphrey in the ‘‘Gossip Girl’’ book series for inspiration.
Humphrey is a self-esteem challenged outsider who struggles to fit in. In the books, a series of public embarrassments (such as appearing in a teen magazine wearing next to nothing) results in Humphrey having to either repeat ninth grade or find a new school. She elects to enter a boarding school and reinvents herself as a popular girl. Her story is told in a series of six ‘‘Gossip’’ spinoff novels called ‘‘The It Girl.’’
The big question is whether such a project would be picked up by the CW. The network already has two teen dramas set in high school this fall — ‘‘Gossip’’ and ‘‘90210,’’ a contemporary spinoff from the 1980s Fox series — as well as ‘‘One Tree Hill,’’ in which the characters recently graduated from high school. Plus, though ‘‘Gossip’’ has a devoted following and significant cultural buzz, its ratings are pretty modest.
A CW spokesman declined comment.
The Hollywood Reporter
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