Elizabeth Berkley’s two most famous roles are finally coming together.
The 49-year-old became a star on the sitcom Saved By The Bell – before her career derailed after her stripper role in the notorious 1995 camp classic Showgirls.
But in a new trailer for the Saved By The Bell reboot on Peacock she could be seen paying homage to the monumental box office bomb, as she slid seductively down a fire pole.
Aglow: In a new trailer for the Saved By The Bell reboot on Peacock she could be seen bringing back memories of Showgirls as she slid seductively down a fire pole
Remember when: She became a star on the sitcom Saved By The Bell – before her career derailed after her stripper role in the notorious 1995 camp classic Showgirls (pictured)
A brief shot in the sneak peek showed her flicking her eyes suggestively and treating a man to a teasing smile as she arches her back against the pole.
She is decked out in a saucy leopard print blouse over a plunging black top that puts her cleavage on display – an outfit that reappears in the sneak peek.
In one shot she is seen modeling the leopard blouse with a black leather jacket and a cowboy hat, strutting her stuff down a crowded hallway.
The look is strikingly reminiscent of one she wears at the end of Showgirls when her character hitches a ride out of Las Vegas.
Iconic moves: In the trailer, Elizabeth is seen recreating some classic choreographed moves from the 1995 movie
Top brass: Showgirls was directed by Paul Verhoeven from a script by Joe Eszterhas, a team who had previously collaborated on the hit erotic thriller Basic Instinct
Looking fab: She is decked out in a saucy leopard print blouse over a plunging black top that puts her cleavage on display – an outfit that reappears in the sneak peek
Sizzling sensation: In one shot she is seen modeling the leopard blouse with a black leather jacket and a cowboy hat, strutting her stuff down a crowded hallway
Elizabeth rose to fame on Saved By The Bell as high school girl Jessie Spano, a role tailored especially to her strengths.
She and Tiffani Amber Thiessen had both auditioned for one of the other roles, and after Tiffani got that part, the character of Jessie was created for Elizabeth.
Jessie is now the mother of a student at the high school where the show is set, and in the trailer she is seen to be undergoing a divorce.
Her old feelings for her high school ‘first love’ AC Slater – played by Mario Lopez and now the PE teacher – begin to resurface.
Details: Jessie’s character is now the mother of a student at the high school where the show is set, and in the trailer she is seen to be undergoing a divorce
So sweet: The duo are seen dancing at what appears to be a school event and in another scene he tells her sympathetically: ‘You’ve been through a lot’
The duo are seen dancing at what appears to be a school event and in another scene he tells her sympathetically: ‘You’ve been through a lot.’
In one self-aware scene a trans cheerleader played by Josie Totah remarks on how ‘we have all these reboots of teen shows from the 90s. Get a new idea Hollywood.’
Showgirls was directed by Paul Verhoeven from a script by Joe Eszterhas, a team who had previously collaborated on the hit erotic thriller Basic Instinct.
The script at the time was the most expensive ever sold – a sale that became infamous after the film was savaged by the critics and tanked at the box office.
‘Get a new idea Hollywood’: In one self-aware scene a trans cheerleader played by Josie Totah (pictured) remarks on how ‘we have all these reboots of teen shows from the 90s
Back at it: The Saved By The Bell reboot sees Elizabeth and Mario reunite with multiple co-stars from the original including Tiffani, Lark Voorhies and Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Wow: New cast members for the revival include Josie as well as Belmont Cameli who plays Elizabeth’s son and such names as John Michael Higgins
Although the movie was a commercial bomb in theaters, hemmed in partly by its NC-17 rating, it wound up being a smash on home video.
Showgirls rapidly became a cult favorite thanks in part to Elizabeth’s over-the-top performance as stripper Nomi Malone and to such ridiculous lines as the character claiming she ‘used to love Doggy Chow’ in a memorable scene with Gina Gershon.
However at the time the film made Elizabeth persona non grata – after she had left Saved By The Bell specifically to break into the movies.
‘Of course it was disappointing that it didn’t do well, but there was so much cruelty around it. I was bullied,’ she told People magazine last year.
‘And I didn’t understand why I was being blamed. The job as an actor is to fulfill the vision of the director. And I did everything I was supposed to do.’
She noted ‘no one associated with the film spoke up on my behalf to protect me. I was left out in the cold and I was a pariah in the industry I had worked so hard for.’
The Saved By The Bell reboot sees Elizabeth and Mario reunite with multiple co-stars from the original including Tiffani, Lark Voorhies and Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
Dearly departed: The new season will also pay tribute to actor Dustin Diamond from the original series, who died in February of lung cancer at the age of just 44
New cast members for the revival include Josie as well as Belmont Cameli who plays Elizabeth’s son and such names as John Michael Higgins.
One original star who did not return was Dustin Diamond, who played Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers and died this February of lung cancer at the age of just 44.
The creators of the new show have told Variety they will pay tribute to Screech on the new season including with clips from the initial run of the series.