First Gossip Girl, now A: HBO Max is rounding up mysterious teen antagonists and letting ’em loose. The streaming service has ordered a reboot of Pretty Little Liars from the diabolical minds of Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina writer Lindsay Calhoon Bring. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin will follow an entirely new “generation†of Liars hunted by an Anonymous revenge-seeker. “It’s not what you think, bitches. -A†the press release teases. The teens are forced to reckon with their parents’ 20-year-old secret, “a series of tragic events†that “almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart†while also trying to protect their own secrets. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin takes place “miles†away from Rosewood, but still exists within the same universe where all the town names end in “wood†(RIP Ravenswood). “We’re such huge fans of what I. Marlene King and her iconic cast created, we knew that we had to treat the original series as #CANON and do something different,†Aguirre-Sacasa and Calhoon Bring said in a statement. “So we’re leaning into the suspense and horror in this reboot, which hopefully will honor what the fans loved about the hit series, while weaving in new, unexpected elements.â€
The original PLL, which starred Shay Mitchell, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, and Troian Bellisario, dominated teen dramas for seven seasons on Freeform, before coming to an end in 2017. The Perfectionists, another spinoff starring Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish, ended in 2019 after one season. As is their generation’s curse, the Gen-Z Liars won’t have it easy. If A can trap Emily in a coffin on a conveyor belt headed for doom on family-friendly Freeform, there’s no telling how they’ll be tortured on HBO Max.