{"id":138783,"date":"2024-12-16T21:03:49","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T21:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/16\/a-different-world-star-dawnn-lewis-teases-involvement-in-sequel-series\/"},"modified":"2024-12-16T21:03:49","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T21:03:49","slug":"a-different-world-star-dawnn-lewis-teases-involvement-in-sequel-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/16\/a-different-world-star-dawnn-lewis-teases-involvement-in-sequel-series\/","title":{"rendered":"A Different World Star Dawnn Lewis Teases Involvement in Sequel Series"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n Dawnn Lewis<\/span> Rodin Eckenroth\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The world has changed a lot since the late \u201880s, but actress Dawnn Lewis<\/strong> and her former A Different World <\/em><\/a>castmates are prepared to keep up with the times \u2014\u00a0and the show\u2019s new sequel series.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we know is that the majority of us, if not all of us, will be participating in the show in some kind of way,\u201d Lewis, 63, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> on Friday, December 13, while attending The Simpsons <\/em>holiday special<\/a> world premiere at Disney\u2019s El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

The actress \u2014 who played Jaleesa Vinson on the original series from 1987 to 1992 \u2014 noted that she\u2019s also in talks about the sequel using the OG theme song, which she wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d she said of whether the team had decided to keep the track as is or start from scratch. \u201cWe\u2019re having those conversations now, so we\u2019ll see how it turns out.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Different World<\/em> premiered in 1987 as a spinoff of The Cosby Show<\/em><\/a>, following Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet<\/strong><\/a>) as she attended a fictional historically black college in Virginia called Hillman College. Marisa Tomei<\/strong><\/a> played her white roommate, Maggie Lauten.<\/p>\n

Bonet, now 57, only starred in the first season<\/a>, leaving after she and then-husband Lenny Kravitz<\/strong><\/a> found out she was pregnant with daughter Zo\u00eb<\/strong> Kravitz<\/strong><\/a>. The show continued without Bonet for five more seasons.<\/p>\n

Beginning in season 2, the focus was on other students at the HBCU with the love story between Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Gilbert<\/strong>) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison<\/strong>) at the forefront. When the series ended in 1993, Whitley and Dwayne were married and expecting their first baby.<\/p>\n

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\n Darryl M. Bell, Lisa Bonet, Dawnn Lewis, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Debbie Allen, Cree Summer and Sinbad of \u201cA Different World.\u201d<\/span> Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic, Inc for Nickelodeon Television;Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In August, news broke that Netflix was reviving the series with original executive producers Debbie Allen<\/strong>, Tom Werner<\/strong>, Gina Prince-Bythewood<\/strong> and Reggie Bythewood<\/strong> all on board along with Mandy Summers<\/strong>. Bel-Air<\/em> writer and executive producer Felicia Pride<\/strong> is the mastermind behind the project, per Deadline<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The sequel will center on Dwayne and Whitley\u2019s daughter, who is now attending Hillman College. While the cast has not been confirmed, Lewis told Us<\/em> on Friday that she thinks the new show is \u201cexciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

As fans wait to see who returns \u2014 the original also starred Charnele Brown<\/strong>, Cree Summer<\/strong>, Glynn Turman<\/strong> and Lous Myers<\/strong> \u2014 they can catch up with the actors at different HBCUs during their tour, which kicked off in February.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe original cast, we\u2019re going around to different HBCUs and colleges now, just keeping the legacy alive and answering questions and doing what we can to inspire and empower this current generation of young adults that are making their move into the world,\u201d Lewis explained.<\/p>\n

She noted that college students today are experiencing a \u201cdifferent world from where they were to where they\u2019re on their way to.\u201d Lewis told Us<\/em> that with any \u201cluck\u201d the young students will \u201ccontinue to carve out a different world, a better world, a brighter future, a more inclusive future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those kinds of positive changes and conversations is what Lewis and the rest of the A Different World<\/em> cast are hoping to continue with a new version of the show raising more awareness of hot topics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese kids [that] are watching the show now, weren\u2019t even born in the same decade as when we shot the show, yet it still is relevant,\u201d Lewis added. \u201cIt\u2019s still as vibrant, and it\u2019s just a huge blessing. It\u2019s a huge honor that is received so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Netflix Renews \u2018A Man on the Inside\u2018 for Season 2<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tAs networks make decisions about their programming, Us Weekly will continue to track what has been renewed and which TV shows have been canceled. Slow Horses was the first show to score a renewal in 2024. In early January, Apple TV+ picked up the series for a fifth season, which will be based on Mick [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In addition to taking part in the upcoming sequel, Lewis is happy to be celebrating The Simpsons<\/em><\/a> holiday special after voicing various characters since season 28. The actress is best known for portraying Bernice Hibbert on the animated series.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing and it\u2019s hard to believe for one third of [the show\u2019s 35-year run], I have been in the cast doing Bernice Hibbert,\u201d she gushed to Us<\/em> on Friday. \u201cI feel like everyone here is so inclusive. They treat you as though you\u2019ve been there from day one, whether you do one episode or years of episodes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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