The 2006 film “Aquamarine” is set to be adapted into a series, with Disney+ and Disney Channel ordering a pilot, as reported by Variety.
Emma Roberts, who appeared in the original movie, will make a guest appearance as Claire Brown in the pilot and will also serve as an executive producer. The new series is being developed by writer Sarah Watson, while Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, the film’s director, will both direct and executive produce the pilot. Susan Cartsonis, the original film’s producer, will also be an executive producer. The original film was penned by John Quintance and Jessica Bendinger and was based on Alice Hoffman’s novel of the same name. However, Quintance, Bendinger, and Hoffman are not participating in the pilot.
The pilot’s storyline is described as follows: “When teenaged Coral moves to a picturesque seaside town, she starts uncovering the mystery of her mother’s disappearance—and learns her mother was a mermaid, which unlocks Coral’s magical abilities as secrets from the ocean threaten to emerge.”
In addition to Roberts, the original “Aquamarine” film featured Joanna “JoJo” Levesque, Sara Paxton, Jake McDorman, and Arielle Kebbel. The story centered on best friends Claire (Roberts) and Hailey (Levesque) as they assist the mermaid Aquamarine (Paxton) in finding true love. Although the film did not initially receive much acclaim, it has since garnered a cult following.
Following her role in “Aquamarine,” Roberts has starred in movies such as “We’re the Millers,” “Palo Alto,” and “The Art of Getting By.” In television, she is recognized for her collaborations with Ryan Murphy, including appearances in several seasons of “American Horror Story” and the Fox series “Scream Queens.”
Sarah Watson is known for creating the well-received Freeform series “The Bold Type,” which ran for five seasons. She recently contributed multiple episodes to the Disney+ series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and created the CBS medical drama “Pure Genius.”
Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum has directed episodes of various TV shows, including “Gossip Girl,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “All American,” “Empire,” “Ginny & Georgia,” and “Dead to Me.”
Watson is represented by Verve and Range Media Partners, Rosenbaum by WME and McKuin Frankel Whitehead, and Roberts by UTA, Sweeney Entertainment, Felker Toczek, and Shelter PR.
Disney’s strategy to reboot its film properties as TV series continues with this project. Disney+ has also ordered pilot adaptations of “Holes” and “Witch Mountain.” In recent developments, Disney has commissioned pilots for series like “Coven Academy,” which is set to continue in 2025, along with a pilot adaptation of the “Eerie Elementary” books.
