Lena Dunham Announces 'Girls' Revival for HBO Max
The five-episode series will feature the original cast, marking a decade since the show's conclusion.
Lena Dunham has announced that the acclaimed HBO series "Girls" will return for a five-episode revival on HBO Max next year. The revival comes exactly one decade after the show aired its final season in 2017.
Original cast members Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, and Andrew Rannells are set to reprise their roles alongside Dunham, who created and starred in the series. The news was shared through a joint Zoom call recorded and posted on the actors' respective Instagram accounts.
"Girls" initially premiered on HBO in 2012 and quickly gained critical acclaim, becoming a cultural phenomenon. The series has since been recognized by publications such as The Guardian, Variety, BBC, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times as one of the greatest television shows of all time.
In a statement, Dunham explained her decision to revisit the series, noting that she had always said they would only return if there was a compelling story to tell. "I've missed these characters, but for a long time I couldn't quite picture them in the present day," she wrote in her memoir "Famesick." "Then, right around my 40th birthday, they started talking to me in the shower. And, as you may remember, once this fivesome starts talking, it's pretty hard to get them to stop."
She added, "It's rare that you get the chance to return to something that changed your life with the gift of hindsight and a whole new level of gratitude and understanding. I love these girls (and boy), our friends at HBO and all the people who have continued to discover the show and remind us afresh why we do this, which is the joy of being together … and the chance to wear yellow mesh."
Since "Girls" concluded, Dunham has continued to work as a writer and creator, with projects including the sex comedy "Sharp Stick" and the Netflix comedy "Too Much." She also recently welcomed a daughter via surrogate with her husband, Luis Felber. Dunham underwent a hysterectomy in 2018 due to endometriosis-related pain, which impacted her ability to carry a child.