'Gossip Girl' Reboot Wasn't Going To Happen If Kristen Bell Wasn't Involved

Kristen Bell is set to return as the narrator in HBO Max’s upcoming Gossip Girl reboot, something that the creators say was necessary for the show.

Click inside to see what they and the cast said about Kristen voicing Gossip Girl…

According to showrunner Joshua Safran, creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage were insistent on Kristen returning and actually wouldn’t sign off on the reboot if she declined.

“It wasn’t really a conversation, Josh and Stephanie were like, if she doesn’t want to do it, let’s all walk away,” Joshua shared with Entertainment Tonight. “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.”

He went on, praising her for the voice over part and how she is an integral part of Gossip Girl.

“Her soul comes through her voice and you just feel like you’re in the show. Without her, whenever there’s like, a temp, it doesn’t feel like the show, and then when you hear her voice, then you’re like, ‘There it is.’”

Both Emily Alyn Lind an Tavi Gevinson agreed.

“I mean, thank God [she's back], she’s the iconic voiceover … like, any other voice would be like, ‘Eh,’” Tavi shared.

Emily added, “Like, how can you have Gossip Girl without Kristen Bell? She’s Gossip Girl, even if she’s not Gossip Girl, she’s Gossip Girl. We need Kristen Bell, are you kidding me?”

Gossip Girl will premiere on July 8 on HBO Max.

Find out why more original stars aren’t involved in the reboot…