Boy Meets World star Ben Savage shared some insight into Disney Channel's follow-up project, Girl Meets World.
"The people that are doing the show," Savage said in an interview with Rolling Stone, "they know what we're about and they know what we're looking for."
Savage shared a few other tidbits about the new project (which he said begins filming in February):
1. There were other iterations being bandied about before Girl Meets World
When news surfaced that Disney Channel was moving ahead with a Boy Meets World follow-up, the Internet went ablaze. For Savage and those involved, however, they wanted to make sure what they were doing was the right thing for the franchise -- and other ideas were discussed, unofficially.
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"People have been discussing it for a long time -- some sort of movie-of-the-week or some sort of film about the show," Savage revealed. "But I think that everyone associated with the show wanted to make sure that if we were to come back, that we weren't going to do it in a way that was going to be a disservice to the show. No one wanted to really cash in, if you will, too early or no one really wanted to do something that was going to be cheesy."
2. The follow-up was born out of "a lot of discussions"
"When we all decided to get together for this (Girl Meets World), there were a lot of discussions," said Savage. "I mean, this has been going on for months in an unofficial way." The actor added that there were "a lot of conversations to make sure we were all on the same page about what we were doing."
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3. Savage was hesitant to reprise his role -- at first
"It wasn't that I was resistant." It had more to do with Savage, co-star Danielle Fishel and the producers (BMW creator Michael Jacobs included) knowing exactly what they wanted to do for the follow-up project. "I think it was just a matter of making sure all of us were on the same page about what we were going to do in terms of making the show last another seven years, hopefully," Savage said. "But it just seems a little poetic that we're coming back 13 years later and it's following our daughter's character. I like that concept ... and it's kind of passing it off to the next generation."
4. "In favor" of a Minkus (Lee Norris) cameo, possibly other original cast returning
"I'm not sure when he stopped being on the show," said Savage. "I'm not sure, but I'm definitely in favor of a return of Minkus. Why not?" In terms of whether original cast members like Rider Strong (Shawn), who recently wrote that he was not involved in any official capacity with GMW, or William Daniels (Dr. Feeny), Savage was coy. "We're going to wait and see what happens. Obviously, I don't want to give away too many details. But there's definitely been discussions about some of everyone's favorite characters popping up in the show and making appearances."
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5. Savage wants to "respect" viewers' memories of Boy Meets World
The actor addressed fans' fears that GMW could be viewed as a failure, offering reassurance that he is well aware of their uphill climb. "We want to do justice to the characters and we want to make sure we respect people's memories of the show," said Savage. "It's funny, a lot of the tweets and emails and mentions I've gotten are from a lot of people who are worried that the show won't hold up and that we shouldn't do it because it's going to ruin a lot of their childhood memories."
He added: "We're really working hard and doing everything we can to make sure that this is going to be something special and funny and hopefully it'll make new memories for a new generation."
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