Netflix’s “A Different World” spinoff pilot has reportedly cast six leading roles, including Tichina Arnold’s daughter, Alijah Kai.

We may be one step closer to seeing a continuation of the beloved sitcom, “A Different World.”

This weekend, multiple outlets reported that Netflix has cast six stars who are expected to play series regulars in the series spinoff. According to Variety, these actors include: Chibuikem Uche as Kojo, Maleah Joi Moon as Deborah, Cornell Young IV as Shaquille, Jordan Aaron Hall as Amir, Alijah Kai as Rashida, and Kennedi McClure as Hazel. Alijah Kai is the daughter of famed actress and singer, Tichina Arnold.

Deadline reports that the “A Different World” spin-off will follow Dwayne and Whitley’s daughter as she goes through her journey at Hillman College, the beloved fictional historically Black college. Rumors began to swirl of the sequel’s development in August 2024, with reports of a pilot surfacing last month.  

Though Netflix has not officially commented on this news, Debbie Allen, who produced and directed the 1987 sitcom, teased the possibility of a spin-off in an interview with TheGrio earlier this year. 

“We don’t like to say too much, you know, but I’ve been working on the reboot of ‘A Different World’ for many years, and right now it’s within reach,” Allen said at the time.

As Allen describes it, “‘A Different World’ changed the world” when it premiered in 1987. Designed as a spin-off of “The Cosby Show,” the show, which initially centered Denise Huxtable’s (Lisa Bonet) journey through college, quickly expanded beyond that, following her classmates Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) as they navigated love and life lessons throughout college and beyond. After airing for six seasons, the show ended in 1993. 

In addition to Allen, the upcoming sequel will reportedly include some of the crew behind the scenes of the original series, such as Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Reggie Bythewood.

“It is within our grasp,” Allen explained. “And we’re hopeful about that because that is a show that will inspire so many young people around the world,” Allen concluded. “When we did [‘A Different World’] the first time, we tripled the enrollment of historically black colleges and encouraged every ethnic group of young people to go to college. So the power of cinema is really big.”