The cast of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin
The cast of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (Photo: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa via Instagram)

HBO Max’s reboot of the dark teen drama Pretty Little Liars has its core cast of mean girls with dark secrets. This week, the streamer announced that Malia Pyles and Zaria will join Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney and Maia Reficco in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. The series will focus on new characters in a new setting, but within the earlier show’s world.

Here’s the official synopsis: “Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls—a brand-new set of Little Liars—find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago…as well as their own.”

“And then there were five. Our quintet of Pretty Little Liars (aka Stunning Empowered Final Girls) is complete!” wrote executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa on Instagram.

So, who are these lying little ladies? This is what we know so far: According to Deadline, Zaria plays poised, disciplined ballerina Faran. She’s desperate to dance her way out of her hometown, but must also endure an onslaught of daily microaggressions in the world of ballet.

Pyles’s Minnie is the youngest of the five main characters. A survivor of some unspecified childhood trauma, she takes refuge in a “virtual world.” Still, it sounds like she might be the most formidable of the fivesome.

Back in July, Deadline described Madison’s character Imogen as “a final girl,” referencing the horror movie archetype: “She will drive the mystery of uncovering “A” as she fights for her life and the lives of her friends.”

It’s a good thing Tabby, played by Kinney, is a horror movie fanatic who aspires to direct films—maybe she can use her slasher flick smarts to outwit whoever is hounding our heroines. Less encouraging: she’s also hiding a secret.

And then there’s Noa (Reficco). Just out of juvie, she’s trying to get her life back on track—literally. She’s described as “a striving, sardonic track star.”

Original Sin isn’t the first attempt to expand the Pretty Little Liars universe. Previous spin-offs Ravenswood and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists were both canceled after one season. We’ll see if this reboot has more staying power.