Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz, Sallie Patrick, and Stepahine Savage’s reboot of 80s classic Dynasty seems to be coming along nicely. Having already cast The Vampire Diaries Nathalie Kelley in the role of Cristal, the upcoming series on The CW has now filled the role of her soon to be stepdaughter Fallon Carrington. Variety reports that Nickelodeon regular and Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll leading lady Elizabeth Gillies will be portraying the wealthy young daughter of billionaire Blake Carrington.
Gillies’ most recent project, as Denis Leary’s daughter on short-lived FX comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, saw her playing the estranged, rebellious daughter of a washed up rocker. While her place in the family remains the same, the Carringtons are anything but washed up. In the original series, the family controls a vast oil empire in Denver. Fallon’s character, a spoiled and promiscuous heiress, primarily plays the role of antagonist to Cristal. This isn’t new ground for Gillies, whose characters from her early days on Nickelodeon were often bullies or just plain jerks. It’s a niche the actress has played well and often, and viewers can expect that experience to translate well to Fallon’s status as a manipulative, insecure trophy daughter to her rich father.
Playing in competition to Gillies will be Kelley, who has appeared in series such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, films like The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and music videos. Cristal was an outsider in the 80s series, something that is sure to play out in the new incarnation. Kelley’s Peruvian heritage could come into play in a politically charged social climate, and it would come as no surprise if Gillies’ disdain for her stepmother-to-be results in some strong racial commentary. Should the reboot maintain truth to some core characters, expect such analysis to play out in both the Carrington’s backgrounds and lifestyles.
The youth and energy the 23 year-old Gillies approaches her roles with works perfectly for a network like The CW. The network consistently draws in excellent scores with younger demographics. The combination of a family focused drama, a young and popular actress like Gillies, and The CW is a match made in TV heaven. The only question is whether Savage and company, in addition to original creators Esther and Richard Shapiro, can manifest such an ideal collection of parts into ratings and results.
Stay tuned with mxdwn for more information about The CW’s Dynasty including casting and plot details.