Hold on to your hats! It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Lifetime has posted its first trailer for “The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story,” and it promises all of the ego, attitude and adolescent drama you’d want in a behind the scenes look at the making of the splashy ’90s Saturday morning sitcom. Inspired by but not based on the 2009 book “Behind The Bell,” which was written by actor Dustin (Screech) Diamond, it’s unclear how far this will delve into scandal, but the memoir was apparently filled with sex and drugs, inciting the ire of some of his costars.
Diamond serves as a co-producer on the film, which will star Sam Kindseth in the Diamond role, along with Dylan Everett (Mark-Paul Gosselaar / Zack), Alyssa Lynch (Tiffani Thiessen / Kelly), Julian Works (Mario Lopez / Slater), Tiera Skovbye (Elizabeth Berkley / Jessie) and Taylor Russell McKenzie (Lark Voorhies / Lisa). Most of these guys are unknowns, but Everett had a role in “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” and Kindseth has appeared in “Shameless.”
Honestly, we’re not sure what to compare this to. A C-rate, hormonal “Saving Mr. Banks” or “My Week With Marilyn”? In a strange way, we must admit that the premise is ingenious. It’s on-brand, relatively original, and targets a specific audience that might be surprisingly large. A certain swath of ’80s babies won’t be able to resist.
Check it out on Lifetime September 1st. [Rope Of Silicon]
