Casper is headed back to the screen, with Deadline reporting that the friendly ghost is getting a live-action series for Peacock that’s said to put a “darker” spin on the family-friendly tale.
Kai Yu Wu (The Ghost Bride) is writing and executive producing the new take.
Deadline reports, “Casper the Friendly Ghost is coming back to television in a brand new incarnation reminiscent of Riverdale‘s darker interpretation of the Archie comics. Peacock is developing Casper, a live-action, horror/adventure series, which reimagines the origin of Casper in a coming-of-age story that explores what it means to be alive.”
In the Peacock series…
“When a new family arrives in the small town of Eternal Falls, Casper finds himself entangled in a mystery uncovering dark secrets that have been buried for over 100 years.”
Created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo, the cartoon character Casper memorably appeared on the big screen in 1995, that movie followed by two live-action follow-up films.
Needless to say, it’s very intriguing to imagine a darker Casper series, as the character – while a supernatural being – has always been a family-friendly presence. It’s unclear at this time just how dark the project will get, but the mention of “horror” has piqued our interest.
Stay tuned for more as we learn it.