Gossip Girl is coming back! Blair Waldorf’s story is set to continue in shock new book

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Blair Waldorf is officially making her return to the Upper East Side.

Deadline reports that a new novel focusing on the popular character played by Leighton Meester is in the works, written by the original series creator, Cecily von Ziegesar.

The book will mark the first major literary continuation of the franchise in more than two decades.

The new book, Blair, takes place two decades after the events of Gossip Girl. It centers on Blair as a woman in her 40s who’s back in New York City and trying to regain her status as a top socialite on the Upper East Side.

At this time, plot details remain under wraps.

Cecily von Ziegesar is writing a new book, currently planned for release in Summer 2027.

Although there aren’t any plans for a TV show or movie right now, this development is likely to attract attention from people in the television business.

As someone who keeps a close eye on pop culture trends, I remember when the Gossip Girl books first came out in 2002 – they were huge! Over six million copies were sold around the world, and they were translated into 25 different languages. They stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for over 100 weeks, which is incredible, and of course, that success led to the popular CW series and, more recently, the HBO Max reboot. It’s a franchise that just keeps coming back, and it all started with those original books!

The Gossip Girl reboot premiered in 2021.

Okay, so you will NOT believe this! When the show finally revealed who Gossip Girl was, it wasn’t some student, it was… the teachers! Can you even?! Kate Keller – Tavi Gevinson, who I adore – was basically the ringleader. They were all behind it from the very beginning, and it was revealed right in the first episode! I was completely shocked, honestly. It made everything make so much more sense, but still… the teachers?!

Joshua Safran, the creator of the original series and now the showrunner for the reboot, explained the reasoning behind the unexpected plot twist in a recent interview with Variety.

He mentioned having friends who work at exclusive private schools on the Upper East and West Sides, and that he himself attended one. He’d often considered a show about the teachers at these schools after the original Gossip Girl ended, but he never quite developed the idea.

I was chatting with some colleagues a couple of years back about the subtle ways they’d seen changes in students’ parents over their time teaching.

Okay, so listen, this is huge. Safran was talking about how he doesn’t even remember what came first – finding out there’d be teachers involved, or realizing I would eventually find out who Gossip Girl was, and that it would be a teacher! It’s like, the mystery was so layered, even he can’t pinpoint the exact moment he knew! It’s blowing my mind all over again!

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I found both options very appealing. I was also keen to investigate areas we hadn’t considered before, particularly the role of teachers. I was especially interested in young, private school teachers—they often earn less than their public school counterparts and are closer in age to their students, which seemed like a promising area to explore.

Safran explained the new ‘Gossip Girl’ series will explore the consequences of someone becoming the anonymous blogger, not just for the students, but for the adults involved as well. He described it as a story where getting what you want isn’t always a good thing, and a warning about the impact of power and anonymity. The show will follow how becoming Gossip Girl changes everyone involved, not just the teenagers.

‘And it is incredibly messy and morally compromised, obviously.’

The original Gossip Girl TV show was on The CW network from 2007 to 2012, lasting six seasons and becoming a major pop culture phenomenon of the late 2000s.

As a lifestyle expert, I always loved the cast of that show! It really revolved around Blake Lively as the fabulous Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf, but it was the whole group – Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, and Taylor Momsen – that made it so captivating.

Kristen Bell provided the narration for the show, which centered on wealthy teenagers in Manhattan whose private lives and scandals were revealed online by an anonymous source.

To celebrate Gossip Girl’s 18th anniversary in September, Lively posted a collection of previously unseen photos from the show’s set, bringing back memories of the popular teen drama that resonated with a whole generation.

Blake Lively, now 38, shared a nostalgic Instagram post marking the 18th birthday of her ‘Gossip Girl’ character. She paired the photos with the song ‘Young Folks’ by Peter Bjorn and John, originally released in 2006.

Blake Lively, known for her role as Serena van der Woodsen, described working on the show as being similar to going to college. She said it was a learning experience and that her co-stars felt like a second family.

The slideshow features relaxed, behind-the-scenes photos of the actors while they were filming and enjoying their time off in New York City.

As I was scrolling through old photos, it warmed my heart to see Blake Lively and Leighton Meester embracing! They clearly still have that amazing connection from their ‘Gossip Girl’ days – you can really feel the Serena and Blair magic in those pictures. It’s a beautiful reminder of how special on-screen friendships can be.

Blake Lively shared another throwback photo, this one featuring Michelle Trachtenberg, who sadly passed away earlier this year at just 39 years old. Trachtenberg was known for her role as the mischievous Georgina Sparks, appearing in 28 episodes of the show.

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2026-02-06 02:49