Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell, and Cree Summer have all joined Netflix’s upcoming A Different World sequel series.
The streaming giant’s Strong Black Lead Instagram account announced the casting news on Wednesday, Dec. 17, saying the four original stars are reprising their roles, with Guy playing “Whitley Gilbert,” Hardison as “Dwayne Wayne,” Bell returns as “Ron Johnson,” and Summer as “Freddie Brooks.”
The four actors have already reported to set.
“I realized I’ve missed Whitley, and I can’t wait to see what she’s like now,” Guy told Netflix blog Tudum. “The minute the cast got together, we picked up right where we left off. It was like we had never left.”
Related: Debbie Allen Reveals Behind the Scenes Details on ‘A Different World’
“We’ve wanted to revisit these characters for a very long time. We want to know what happened next,” added Bell.
The new series from executive producers Felicia Pride and Debbie Allen will be a single-camera comedy and consist of 10 half-hour episodes, as previously reported.
Allen, who produced, directed, and had a role in the original series, will also direct. Pride will serve as showrunner.
Original writers Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood are returning as co-executive producers on the new comedy alongside Mandy Summers (That 90’s Show) and Tom Werner (The Connors).
A Different World debuted in 1987 and was a spinoff of The Cosby Show.
The sitcom followed Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and other students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU. Following Bonet’s exit after season 1, the ensemble comedy focused on Whitley, Dwayne and other students and staff at Hillman.
The sequel will center on Deborah Wayne, youngest daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert. Deborah is now a student at Hillman. Joi Moon (Hell’s Kitchen) will lead the cast as Deborah.
The new cast also includes Alijah Kai Haggins (Everybody Hates Chris), Cornell Young (Doing Life), Jordan Aaron Hall (The Idea of You), Chibuikem Uche (One Of Us Is Lying), and Kennedi Reece.
Here’s the official description: “When Deborah, Dwayne Wayne, and Whitley Gilbert’s free-spirited, well-intentioned, yet rebellious youngest child, enters her freshman year at Hillman College, she finds the shadow of her parents difficult to escape as she sets out to build her own legacy, while having the time of her life, alongside a whole new generation of Hillman’s best and brightest.”
A premiere date for the new series will be announced later.
(L-R) Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell and Cree Summer are shown in the image above. (Credit: Popular Images and IMDb).
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