Transgender teen Josie Totah has joined
the cast of the upcoming reboot of Saved by the Bell.
According to The
Hollywood Reporter, Totah will play Lexi, a lead role in the
series. The outlet described the character as “a beautiful,
sharp-tongued cheerleader and the most popular girl at Bayside High
who is both admired and feared by her fellow students.”
Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley will
reprise their roles from the original series.
Saved by the Bell ran for four
seasons on NBC. Two spinoffs, Saved by the Bell: The College Years
and Saved by the Bell: The New Class, followed.
In this latest installment, Zack Morris
(played in the original series by Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is the
governor of California, though it's uncertain whether Gosselaar will
return to the show.
The 18-year-old Totah (Champions)
came out transgender in a 2018 essay for Time.
“I always knew on some level that I
was female,” she said. “But it crystallized about three years
ago when I was a 14-year-old watching the show I Am Jazz with
my mother.”
Saved by the Bell will stream on
Peacock, NBCUniversal's upcoming streaming platform.