Netflix has received the green light to shoot the pilot for the A Different World spin-off series. The series will be following Dwayne and Whitley’s youngest daughter as she follows in her parents’ footsteps and attends an HBCU. Netflix has yet to comment on the recent news.
Executive producers Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Reggie Bythewood, together with writer/executive producer Felicia Pride, are behind the Different World sequel. The original multi-camera sitcom, a spinoff of The Cosby Show, was produced by Carsey-Werner and ran on NBC for six seasons. Allen, Werner, Prince-Bythewood, and Bythewood all helped produce the show.
The sequel was initially planned as a single-camera film, according to Deadline. Whether that has changed or not is unclear. Allen is familiar with both mediums and is set to helm the pilot from a Pride script. According to insiders, the pilot is considering a shoot in Atlanta in June.
A Different World ran on NBC for six seasons from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The Cosby Show spin-off focused on the experiences of students at Hillman College, a fictitious HBCU in Virginia, and Lisa Bonet’s character Denise Huxtable. Debbie Allen took over after Bonet left, and the focus of the show changed from a specific person to the HBCU experience as a whole. The show was an immediate hit and one of the most watched television shows for its entire run.
In an interview with Us Weekly last year, actress Dawnn Lewis, who played Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor, hinted that she and the rest of the original cast may return for the reboot.
“All we know is that the majority of us, if not all of us, will be participating in the show in some kind of way,” Lewis told Us Weekly.
The original idea for the reboot was for Dwayne and Whitley’s daughter, Deborah Wayne, to attend Hillman College like her parents, but where she will attend college is now unknown. Netflix is currently casting for Deborah and other students, all around 18-20 years old.
Fans can now stream A Different World on Netflix.
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