If you remember the trips we’ve had to Witch Mountain, this latest story is quite interesting. But if anyone can make it work, it’s the fantastic Bryce Dallas Howard.
In a new story from TVLine, the site confirms Howard will star in a new Escape to Witch Mountain series coming to Disney+ sometime soon. The series is described as a “reimagining,” and the Disney streamer has ordered the series pilot.
The franchise began in 1975 with Escape to Witch Mountain. That original film spawned two sequels, Return to Witch Mountain and Beyond Witch Mountain. In 1995, we saw a remake of Escape to Witch Mountain, a made-for-TV movie. Then years later, Dwayne Johnson attempted to reboot the series with 2009’s Race to Witch Mountain. It did not pan out, as the film sits at 42% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Per TV Line, this new Disney+ series will follow “two teens that develop strange abilities and, in turn, discover that their sleepy suburb may not be as idyllic as it seems.” Isabel Gravitt and Levi Miller will play the teens Tia and Ben, joined by Howard, playing Audrey, Tia’s mother. Audrey is described as a “warm mama bear type, but like everyone in this town, not everything is as it seems.”
Tia is described as a straight-A student, while Ben struggles to make his grades. Tia experiences “hallucinations” in which people around her step outside their living bodies, and Ben soon learns he can force others in his vicinity to move according to his will.
Travis Fickett and Terry Matalas co-wrote the series pilot, and will also serve as executive producers alongside director Augustine Frizzell.
As Disney+ attempts more nostalgia bait like Hocus Pocus 2 and Disenchanted, they’ll likely tap into more classic properties like Escape to Witch Mountain. Could a new version of Flubber be soon on the way? One can only dream…
