A Clueless reboot is now one step closer to coming to series for NBCUniversal’s new Peacock streaming service.
The new Clueless show, based on the 1995 movie, will change its focus. Producers will be pulling back from the original protagonist Cher Horowitz, played by Alicia Silverstone, in favor of her friend Dionne, who was played by Stacey Dash, according to Variety.
The comedy series is also expected to have a mystery component, as Dionne and her friends investigate Cher’s disappearance.
New focus: Clueless will return as a series for the Peacock streaming service in an updated version that focuses on Cher Horowitz’s friend Dionne, according to Variety; still from Clueless with, from left, Stacey Dash, Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy
The show is described as ‘a baby pink and bisexual blue-tinted, tiny sun-glasses wearing [sic], oat milk latte and Adderall–fueled look at what happens when queen bee Cher disappears and her lifelong number two Dionne steps into Cher’s vacant Air Jordans,’ according to the report.
‘How does Dionne deal with the pressures of being the new most popular girl in school, while also unraveling the mystery of what happened to her best friend?’
The new Clueless will update the original 1990s setting to the present day.
Silverstone starred as Cher in the original film, which was an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Emma, while Dash played Dionne and the late Brittany Murphy played their newcomer friend Tai.
The movie was critically lauded for its humor and whip-smart dialogue, and the film became a sleeper hit, grossing nearly $57 million against a $12 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.
Genre-bender: The comedy will also be a mystery focusing on Dionne’s investigation into her friend Cher’s disappearance
The first: The film, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Emma, was a critical success and a box office hit that catapulted Silverstone to stardom
The movie’s enduring success catapulted Silverstone to stardom, and she followed it up with lead roles in Batman & Robin (1997) and Blast From The Past (1999).
Clueless was previously adapted as an ABC series in 1996, which moved to UPN for its second and third seasons, with Rachel Blanchard replacing Silverstone.
Dash reprised her role as Dionne, and has continued to act, though she was briefly employed by Fox News as a conservative political pundit.
A musical version of Clueless also debuted in 1998.
News of the Clueless series first broke in October, before a network or streaming home had been announced.
First series: The 1995 film was adapted into a show starring Rachel Blanchard as Cher, which ran for three seasons, first on ABC then on UPN for the final two
Jordan Reddout and Gus Hickey will collaborate on writing the series and executive produce it.
The original film’s producers Robert Lawrence and Scott Rudin will also executive produce, along with Corrinne Brinkerhoff, Eli Bush and Tiffany Grant.
Amy Heckerling, who wrote and directed the original series and created the first TV series, has no involvement with the current project.
Though the series will air on NBCUniversal’s streaming app, CBS Television Studios will produce.
The Clueless reboot will join updates of sitcoms including Saved By The Bell and Punky Brewster, as well as a Will Forte–led MacGruber comedy based on his film and SNL sketch, and a new version of Battlestar Galactica helmed by Mr. Robot creator, writer and director Sam Esmail.
Digging from the past: Clueless is among Peacock’s attempts to repackage older properties. The streamer has upcoming reboots of Saved By The Bell and Battlestar Galactica, among others