On Tuesday, NBCUniversal announced plans for its long-promised Netflix competitor, the new streaming service “Peacock,” and included among its promised original programming was a Saved By the Bell sequel series starring original cast members Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley. The pair will be reprising the roles of A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano, but more amazing than any of this is the fact that the show’s premise rides on the controversial actions of California Gov. Zack Morris.
Yes, that Zach Morris. He’s apparently the state’s governor now. The news immediately generated questions about the new Saved By the Bell, but when it comes to Morris, one of the more pertinent ones asked concerned whether or not actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar would be involved. Per the original announcement, it didn’t sound like it, and when Variety asked him about it, the Pitch and Mixed-ish star confessed he was never approached to reprise the role. “I read it in the trades just like everybody else this morning,” he said. “Honestly, I was never approached. I woke up to the news this morning with a kind of ‘huh’ response.”
That doesn’t mean that he isn’t interested in doing a cameo or two for the new Saved By the Bell series. As Gosselaar emphasized, he has “always been interested” in doing a revival of some kind. Though, there’s also the consideration of competition — especially now that everybody is trying to start their own streaming service. “I’m on ABC, so it doesn’t really fit into that considering Disney Plus, so I understand the business side of things,” he explained. “But I had no idea it was that far along.”
(Via Variety)
