Animorphs Authors "Have Concerns" About Disney+ Live-Action Series
· BCPosted in: Disney+, TV | Tagged: animorphs
Animorphs Authors "Have Concerns" About Disney+ Live-Action Series
Though they trust EP Sev Ohanian, "Animorphs" authors Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant "have concerns" about Disney+'s series adaptation.
Published Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:32:06 -0500
by Ray Flook
|
Comments
Earlier today, the news hit that Disney+ and Ryan Coogler's Proximity Media were developing a new live-action series adaptation of Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant's "Animorphs" book series. According to the official overview that was released, the new live-action take on the book series "follows a group of teenagers who uncover a hidden threat lurking beneath their everyday lives, all while juggling relationships, curfews, and the chaos of High School." In the books, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias find themselves balancing being teens with pretty much stopping an alien race from enslaving the entire galaxy.
Based on the response from fans who cherished the novels and have fond memories of the short-lived previous live-action series (more on that below), there's quite a bit of excitement out there for the project. Taking to social media, Applegate shared their thoughts on the news; while it wasn't exactly throwing shade, it also wasn't the most ringing endorsement, either. Think of it more like "cautiously optimistic" or a "glass half-empty/glass half-full" reaction. "Michael Grant and I have concerns that the project is under-resourced. But one of the producers, Sev Ohanian, is a friend, as well as a genuine Animorphs fan. If anyone can make it work, he can. Fingers crossed."
Bayan Wolcott is attached to write and executive-produce, with Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian executive-producing via Proximity Media. Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman will executive-produce for original book publisher Scholastic. 20th Television serves as the studio, with Proximity Media's Simone Harris, vice president and head of TV, and Dezi Gallegos, director of TV development, overseeing the project.
Beginning with 1996's The Invasion and ending with 2001's ironically titled The Beginning, the "Animorphs" series would run for 54 books, selling more than 35 million copies worldwide. In addition, the series included companion/spinoff novels, such as The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, The Andalite Chronicles, and Visser. Previously, "Animorphs" was adapted as a live-action series that ran on Nickelodeon for two seasons (1998-2000). The series starred pre-The Rookie star Shawn Ashmore, as well as Brooke Nevin, Boris Cabrera, Nadia Nascimento, Christopher Ralph, Paulo Costanzo, and Eugene Lipinski. In 2020, there were efforts to bring "Animorphs" to the big screen, but the project never moved forward.
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!