More familiar faces are returning to Hillman College for Netflix’s upcoming A Different World sequel series.
Charnele Brown and Jenifer Lewis are set to reprise their roles as production gets underway in Atlanta, the streaming giant announced on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Brown, who appeared on 122 episodes of the original sitcom, plays “Dr. Kimberly Reese Boyer.” Lewis returns as “Professor Davenport,” after appearing on nine episodes of the original series.
Maleah Joi Moon leads the cast of the sequel as “Deborah Wayne,” the youngest daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert. Deborah is now a student at Hillman, a fictional HBCU and “finds the shadow of her parents difficult to escape as she sets out to build her own legacy.”
The main cast also includes Alijah Kai Haggins, Cornell Young, Kennedi Reece, Jordan Aaron Hall, and Chibuikem Uche, as previously reported.
Original stars Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell, and Cree Summer previously signed on for the sequel. Guy returns as “Whitley Gilbert,” Hardison as “Dwayne Wayne,” Bell returns as “Ron Johnson,” and Summer as “Freddie Brooks.”
Netflix said Thursday, five newcomers are joining the series in guest roles.
Vincent Jamal Hooper (Chicago Med) plays “Ellington.”
Elijah J. Roberts (Night Swim) has been added as “Jalen.”
Renee Harrison (All American: Homecoming) plays “Candace.”
Famecia Ward (Blue Bloods) portrays “Nellie Gaines.”
Dasan Frazier (Straw) has been cast as “Xavier.”
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. Bonet exited the series after season 1, and the ensemble comedy shifted focus to Whitley, Dwayne and other cast members.
The sequel comes from executive producers Felicia Pride and Debbie Allen and will consist of 10 half-hour episodes. Allen produced, directed, and had a role in the original series. She is directing the sequel and Pride serves 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).
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