Karena Evans will introduce a new generation of viewers to Manhattan’s upper elite. She’s been tapped to helm the pilot and second episode of HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” reboot. A press release confirmed the news.

The reimagined drama is based on the original CW Blake Lively-starrer and Cecily von Ziegesar’s bestselling novels. The series finds “New York private school teens being introduced to social surveillance eight years after the original blogger’s website went dark.”

“Josh Safran has found a perfect partner in Karena to illustrate how the landscape of social media, the upper east side, and the world have changed since ‘Gossip Girl’ premiered 13 years ago,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max. She also emphasized Evans’ “passion for inclusive storytelling.”

“P-Valley,” “Swipe Night,” and “Snowfall” are among Evans’ TV directing credits. She’s directed music videos for artists such as SZA, Drake, and Coldplay. Also an actress, she starred in Jasmin Mozaffari’s 2018 coming-of-age drama “Firecrackers.”