A new television adaptation of the popular 1990s book series Animorphs is moving forward at Disney+. The streaming service is developing a reboot of the science fiction franchise, with Ryan Coogler signed on as an executive producer through his production company, Proximity Media. The project is currently in early development, and fans of the original books are eager to see how the new series handles the story about teenagers who turn into animals to fight secret aliens.
Ryan Coogler to Produce Animorphs Reboot for Disney Streaming Service
Ryan Coogler, the filmmaker behind movies like Sinners and Black Panther, will serve as an executive producer for the Animorphs TV series. He will work alongside his Proximity Media partners Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian. The show is being written by Bayan Wolcott, who has worked on The Testaments and The Summer I Turned Pretty. Wolcott will also serve as an executive producer.
The studio behind the project is 20th Television. Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman from Scholastic, the company that published the original books, will also serve as executive producers. Simone Harris and Dezi Gallegos from Proximity Media will oversee the production.
This is not the first time Coogler has worked with Disney. His company has an overall deal with the studio. He is also working on a pilot for a new version of The X-Files for Hulu. Coogler recently won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his movie Sinners.
The Story Behind the Popular 1990s Book Series
The Animorphs book series was written by Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant. The first book, The Invasion, came out in 1996. The main series ran until 2001 and included 54 books. The books have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide.
The story follows five teenagers: Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias. They meet a dying alien from a race called the Andalites. This alien gives them the power to “morph” or turn into any animal they touch by absorbing its DNA. The teens learn that Earth is being secretly invaded by parasitic aliens called Yeerks. The Yeerks enter human bodies through the ears and take control of their minds. The teenagers must keep their powers a secret while going to high school and following their parents’ rules.
The official logline for the new Disney+ series says it 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.”
A Second Chance After the Nickelodeon Series
This will be the second time Animorphs has been adapted for television. The first live-action series aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2000. That show ran for two seasons and 26 episodes. It starred Shawn Ashmore, who later appeared in the X-Men movies, along with Brooke Nevin, Boris Cabrera, Nadia Nascimento, and Christopher Ralph. The Nickelodeon version had a small budget. Many fans said the special effects did not look good, and the show did not cover the darker parts of the books.
There was also a movie project announced in 2020, but Applegate and Grant left that project because of creative differences.
What the Book Creators Think About the New Show
Katherine Applegate shared her thoughts about the new Disney+ project on social media. She said she and Michael Grant have concerns about the project. She wrote that they worry it might be “under-resourced.” But she also said that one of the producers, Sev Ohanian, is a friend and a real fan of the books.
“If anyone can make it work, he can. Fingers crossed.” – Katherine Applegate, Animorphs book author
In a 2016 interview, Applegate talked about why the books stayed popular for so long. She said she and Grant did not talk down to their young readers. They used the science fiction story to discuss serious topics.
“We used the premise to talk about big things with kids, and we think they appreciated that. And then we’d have a fight between an alien and a kid-turned-tiger, and seriously, how is that not cool?” – Katherine Applegate
Joining Disney’s Growing List of Young Adult Adaptations
If the show moves forward, it will be part of a larger trend at Disney+. The streaming service has been adapting popular young adult book series into television shows. Percy Jackson and the Olympians already has a successful series on the platform. A new version of Goosebumps has also been released. An adaptation of Eragon is also in the works.
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The Animorphs series has a large and loyal fan base. Many people who read the books as children and teenagers are now adults. They have been waiting for a new version of the story that has better special effects and stays true to the darker themes of the books. The original books dealt with serious issues like war, loss of identity, and the morality of fighting.
No casting announcements have been made yet. There is also no release date for the series. Because the project is in early development, it may take some time before viewers can watch it on Disney+.
Also Read: Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 5 Release Schedule: Streaming Debut Set for April 8, 2026
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