'Gossip Girl' reboot delayed due to coronavirus pandemic

The highly anticipated "Gossip Girl" reboot has been delayed due to coronavirus pandemic. Fans of The CW series that concluded in the year 2012 will have to wait much longer than expected. HBO Max's reboot version of the American teen television drama has now been pushed back to the year 2021.

Originally, the new series for "Gossip Girl" was supposed to make its debut by fall 2020 and made available on HBO's new streaming platform providing features from HBO, Warner Bros, and more upon subscription. The video-on-demand streaming service is scheduled to release this week in the US.

Meanwhile, speaking with Vulture, HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly confirmed the delay. According to Reilly, the show was still in pre-production phase when lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19 disease was announced impacting the filming of major Hollywood productions.

"They hadn't even started production yet; they were in pre-production and ready to roll," Reilly said.

While there is no confirmed timeline for the show, it is believed that even if the show begins shooting sometime later in the year, it will not premiere on the streaming service until 2021.

Created by original creators Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, and Joshua Safran "Gossip Girl" 2.0 is set in the world eight years after the original concluded. The story revolves around new characters played by new cast. It will follow a group of new students from a private school in New York played by cast members Emily Alyn Lind, Whitney Peak, Eli Brown, Johnathan Fernandez, and Jason Gotay, along with Tavi Gevinson, Thomas Doherty, Adam Chanler-Berat, and Zion Moreno. In addition, Kristen Bell would be joining the cast as the voice of Gossip Girl, once again.

Originally, the filming of the show was scheduled to begin in March 2020 in New York City, however, the plans were suspended as it remains one of the hardest-hit city in the United States.

This is not only show be dealing with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. HBO Max's Kaley Cuoco–led series "The Flight Attendant" and Friends-reunion special is also stalled for now.

"Things that would have been really meaningful and high profile have gotten pushed back," Reilly said.