Class will be back in session as a reimagining of A Different World will begin filming in Atlanta next year.
Created by Bel-Air screenwriter Felicia Pride, the series will take new viewers and fans of the original series that ran from 1987 to 1993 back to the fictional Hillman College that Cosby Show daughter Denise Huxtable first attended.
The reboot, greenlit by Netflix, will follow the daughter of original series regulars Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy). Actors Cree Summer, who played Freddie, and Darryl M. Bell, who played Ron Johnson, will also return.
Tony Award-winner Maleah Joi Moon will star as Deborah Wayne, the youngest daughter of Whitley and Dwayne, who arrives at Hillman College looking to break out of her parents’ shadow.
Actor, director and Different World alum Debbie Allen shared the exciting news and a sneak peek of the cast on social media.
Pride, who lives in Atlanta, will be the series showrunner.
“It is such an honor to be a part of bringing back this iconic show, one that I grew up on and which had a profound impact on my life,” Pride said in a statement. “I am so proud of the work we’re doing to reimagine A Different World for beloved fans and new generations alike.”
The production news comes at a pivotal time for Atlanta’s creative community. While Georgia has long been heralded as a place where Black folks could thrive both behind and in front of the camera, a recent downturn has resulted in many lost livelihoods.
Since 2023, Georgia production has cratered, as factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and labor strikes put once-thriving careers as actors, hairstylists, makeup artists, prop stylists, wardrobe assistants, camera operators, and sound engineers in jeopardy.
The state hosted 273 productions between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, according to its website. Atlanta magazine reported that about 1,000 film permits are issued each year, but from June 2023 through July 2024, that number fell by 50%. According to reports, state revenue from TV and film production has fallen by nearly half.
A Different World’s 10-episode series is scheduled to begin production in Atlanta from Feb. 5 through April 27.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a local union posted a jobs notice last week regarding the upcoming series “Untitled HBCU S1” last week.
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