More than three decades after the original “A Different World” was a hit on NBC, Netflix Monday officially announced it’s bringing a reboot of the series back next year.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the revamped version will star Tony Award-winner Maleah Joi Moon as Deborah, the youngest daughter of original series leads Whitley (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). She enrolls at the fictional historically Black Hillman College in Virginia where her parents attended.
The series will be produced in Atlanta, where showrunner Felicia Pride resides.
“It is such an honor to be a part of bringing back this iconic show, one that I grew up on and which had a profound impact on my life,” Pride said in a statement. “I am so proud of the work we’re doing to reimagine ‘A Different World’ for beloved fans and new generations alike.”
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Netflix, which usually shoots an entire first season of any new series, opted to take the more traditional broadcast route this past summer and created a single pilot episode in Atlanta for a reboot of “A Different World.”
A local union last week posted a jobs notice last week regarding the upcoming series, dubbing it “Untitled HBCU S1.”
Production for this series is set to begin Feb. 5 next year and run through April 27, according to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 479, which represents most union crew members in Georgia.
The original “A Different World,” a spinoff of “The Cosby Show,” ran on NBC from 1987 to 1993 to huge ratings. The show remains a cherished touchstone for Generation Xers, and cast reunions draw big audiences. It filmed scenes at Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College.
This sequel will include several executive producers involved in the original series, including Debbie Allen, Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Bythewood.
Allen, who directed the majority of the original show’s episodes, will helm the series premiere and two more episodes in the sequel’s first season, according to The Hollywood Reporter story.
Credit: NBC
Credit: NBC
This series will use Cinespace Studios in Atlanta as its home base, according to the IATSE posting. Cinespace purchased the studio located next to Lakewood Amphitheatre from EUE Screen Gems in 2023. It was previously home to “Stranger Things,” which begins airing its final season later this month, for nearly a decade.
Earlier this year, Netflix used the same studio for an upcoming Bert Kreischer series, “Free Bert,” and a rom-com starring Millie Bobby Brown, “Just Picture It.”
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