Disney has seen some success translating their iconic theme park attractions into big-screen epics, and now they plan to take that success and bring it to Disney+. The streamer has given out a pilot order for a new series based on the Disney World attraction, Spaceship Earth.
According to Deadline, the series is set to be overseen by creatives Jason Fuchs (IT: Welcome to Derry) and Michael Waldron (Chad Powers) alongside 20th Century Television. Fuchs and Waldron wrote the script for Spaceship Earth. Fuchs is serving as producer and showrunner of the series while Waldron will executive produce via his Anomaly Pictures banner. The project has also brought Lee Toland Krieger as director and producer on the pilot with Adam Fishbach via his Fishbach Productions, and Adam Fasullo. 20th Television is the studio.
What is Spaceship Earth About?
When a mission to avert an imminent global cataclysm goes awry, a small band of teenagers from Earth’s past and future must join forces to confront a threat as vast and mysterious as time itself.
Spaceship Earth opened at Walt Disney World on October 1st in, 1982. The 15-minute dark attraction uses a continuous ride system to move passengers back in time. Guests will see audio-animatronic scenes showing milestones like cave paintings, ancient Egypt, the printing press, and more advancements in communication in human history. The attraction concludes with an interactive digital finale where guests design their own future. Parkgoers and Disney fans will recognize the 180-foot geodesic sphere as the visual anchor and entrance landmark for EPCOT.
It is unknown at this time if Disney plans to officially announce the series during the D23 Expo in Anaheim, which takes place next week on August 14-16. That said, Waldron is expected to be in the area during the event, so maybe we get a surprise.
As for the creatives, Michael Waldron is no stranger to the Walt Disney Company. He was the head writer and executive producer on Loki, wrote the script for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and he also serves as writer and creator of the hit Hulu series Chad Powers, which has a second season dropping next month. Up next for Waldron is Avengers: Doomsday, on which he has a writing credit. He is also writing Nova for Marvel Studios, which could lead to his first big-screen directorial effort.
Fuchs is known for writing some of the biggest films and series in recent years, with credits including Wonder Woman, IT: Chapter Two, A Minecraft Movie, and IT: Welcome to Derry. Fuchs is also staying busy as he is working on Welcome to Derry season 2, a live-action My Hero Academia, and he is still attached to the Disney+ series based on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Attraction-based movies have done well for Disney in the past, Pirates of the Caribbean being the most regarded, as the franchise has grossed over $4 billion at the worldwide box office. Disney has also released two Haunted Mansion films, The Country Bears, and Jungle Cruise.
The studio has projects in various stages of development, such as films for Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, and the Matterhorn, as well as a Jungle Cruise sequel and multiple Pirates of the Caribbean projects.
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