A return toWitch Mountainis near, as Disney+ has given the go-ahead on a pilot based on itsWitch Mountainfranchise,reportsVariety. The film franchise is based on Alexander Key’s 1968 science fiction novelEscape to Witch Mountain. In the book, Tony and Tia are orphaned teens with paranormal powers. The upcoming project makes some changes to the original, but according to its logline, it tells the story of “two teens that develop strange abilities and discover their sleepy suburb may not be as idyllic as it seems.”
The pilot’s cast will be led byJurassic World’sBryce Dallas Howard. Howard will portray Audrey, a mother and wife who loses her husband to mental illness. As her daughter Tia struggles with her dad’s passing, Audrey strives to reassure Tia that she “shows no sign of following her father’s dark spiral.” The Watcher’s Isabel Gravitt is Tia, Audrey’s scholarly daughter who lives in fear of failure and that father’s mental health issues have been passed down to her.
Howard and Disney have maintained a consistent working relationship in recent years. Howard served as director for several episodes of Disney+ seriesThe MandalorianandThe Book of Boba Fett, starred inPete’s Dragon, and voiced the character of Yaddle inTales of the Jedi. She is next set to direct a reboot ofFlight of the Navigator.
The pilot episode will also feature Levi Miller (Streamline) as Ben, a troubled youth with a bad temper who finds himself drawn to Tia; Bianca “b” Norwood (WeCrashed) as Ben’s mature best friend; and Jackson Kelly (Straight Man) as Peter, Tia’s close friend who harbors a secret crush on her. TheWitch Mountainpilot is co-written by Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett, the team responsible for Syfy’s12 Monkeys.The two also serve as executive producers, alongside Augustine Frizzell, who will direct the pilot. Game Night’s John Davis and John Fox, and Gary Marsh, serve as producers.
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Witch Mountain and Disney Nostalgia
According to the original story, siblings Tia and Tony are taken in by child protective services and placed into a juvenile detention home. Eventually, the two are placed with an alleged uncle who has ill intentions. Tony and Tia later realize that they were born on another planet. The film adaptation of the novel was released in 1975, and its success lead to sequels in 1978 and 1982. In 1995, a made for television version titledDisney’s Escape to Witch Mountain, that starred Elizabeth Moss, was released. In 2009, Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Ciarán Hinds and Carla Gugino starred inRace to Witch Mountain, a remake of the 1975 film.
Witch Mountain joins a number of recent reboots and reimaginings by Disney, including The Mighty Ducks, The Santa Clause, andWillow.
