We Have a Lead Actress For the 'Saved By the Bell' Reboot
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Josie Totah To Star On 'Saved By the Bell'
Actress Josie Totah, who appeared with Mindy Kaling and Anders Holm in the NBC and Universal TV comedy "Champions," has been tapped for the lead spot in the upcoming reboot of "Saved By the Bell."
Totah will reportedly play Lexi, "a beautiful, sharp-tongued cheerleader and the most popular girl at Bayside High, who is both admired and feared by her fellow students."
The "Saved By the Bell" reboot will be seen on Peacock, NBC's streaming network, which is due to kick off in April.
Waging Her Own Personal Battle
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Totah, who will also be a producer on the show, came out as transgender in 2018 through an essay in Time magazine.
Totah Announced She Was Transgender In 2018
Totah's powerful essay detailed her journey to this point. She also acknowledged her link to Disney could make things difficult.
"In the past, I’ve halfway corrected people by telling them I identify as LGBTQ. I wasn’t ready to be more specific. I was afraid I wouldn’t be accepted, that I would be embarrassed, that the fans who knew me from the time when I acted in a Disney show would be confused.
But I realized over the past few years that hiding my true self is not healthy. I know now, more than ever, that I’m finally ready to take this step toward becoming myself. I’m ready to be free. So, listen up y’all: You can jump on or jump off. Either way this is where I’m heading.
My pronouns are she, her and hers. I identify as female, specifically as a transgender female. And my name is Josie Totah."
News To Him
Don't forget that there will also be references to the original actors of "Saved By the Bell," like Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley and Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played Zach. But it's likely we may not see Gosselaar in this reboot, since he's already said he wasn't part of the plans.
Last year, Gosselaar weighed in on whether we'd see a new Zach, and it didn't sound like it.
According to Variety, Gosselaar said he was basically blindsided.
"I read it in the trades just like everybody else this morning. Honestly, I was never approached. I woke up to the news this morning with a kind of ‘huh’ response.”
Gosselaar, who's on "black-ish," was also surprised at how fast things were moving.
“I’m on ABC, so it doesn’t really fit into that considering Disney Plus, so I understand the business side of things. But I had no idea it was that far along," he said.
Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley are expected to return as A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano, but Popculture says it's still unclear whether the other original cast members, like Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Lark Voorhies, Dennis Haskins, or Leanna Creel or Dustin Diamond will be there either.
Actor John Michael Higgins will play Principal Toddman.
