10 TV Adaptations for Disney+
As Disney+ amps up its content, here are ten Disney movies that should be given the TV treatment.
As Disney+ continues its rise within the streaming war, they will be needing more content. Disney has one of the most extensive and popular back catalogs of any Hollywood studio. Along with the majority of their back catalog, Disney has been creating original content specifically tailored for the Disney+ audience.
When it comes to making original content for Disney+, they have been looking to established brands or past successes. The company has announced such films in development as a live-action version and The Sword in the Stone and remakes of Father of the Bride, 3 Men and a Baby, and The Parent Trap.
Over the years, Disney has transitioned from focusing on small to mid-budget family films, like Hocus Pocus, Remember the Titans, and The Santa Clause, to massive blockbusters. Disney has stopped making those smaller family films for the big screen that helped build their brand. A number of the films have gained enough of a following to warrant a sequel, but they can’t pull in billions, so Disney isn’t interested. That is why Disney+ has become be home for smaller films and television shows.
When looking at their announced projects, you can see that they plan to take those smaller films from their back catalog and give them the television treatment. So I delved into more of their catalog, and I came up with ten past Disney properties that could be unique television projects for Disney+. If not a television show, then maybe they can finally give these projects the sequels fans have been waiting on.
The Princess Diaries
The idea of adapting The Princess Diaries as a television show could please both nostalgia viewers and new, younger fanbase. It is a popular title both as a film and as a novel series. There have been over a dozen books dedicated to the characters of the series, so there is a lot of material.
Rebooting the story Mia Thermopolis and how she became Princess of Genovia with a whole new cast could be the easiest way to adapt this property. The second idea would be more costly and more nostalgia-driven. You bring back Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews to reprise their roles from the original films. Even after the passing of Garry Marshall, the director of both Princess Diaries films, it has been reported that Hathaway and Andrews would still like to revisit their characters in another film. The character of Mia could be the lead of the series (or for at least a season). Or, because it has been almost fifteen years since the last film, you could focus the story around the daughter of Mia.
Bring back Hathaway and Andrews, but make their roles a little smaller so they aren’t the main focus of the show. Give Hathaway, and possibly Andrews, an executive producer credit on the show. Put all of that together and you might have something.
The Mighty Ducks
The Mighty Ducks tells the story of Gordon Bombay and his group of young hockey misfits. The original Mighty Ducks series had three movies, so that means there are multiple stories you could tell with this specific premise for a television show. For one, Gordon Bombay is essentially the Mr. Feeny of teenage hockey leagues. He pops up everywhere in the film series, even though he has no reason to be there.
Each season of the series could follow The Mighty Ducks team as they go through each new season. You could either continue the story of Gordon Bombay and the kids from District Five, or you could bring in a whole new coach who has to retool the now failing Mighty Ducks team after Bombay’s exit years ago. Call up Joshua Jackson and see if he can reprise his role of Charlie Conway and take his rightful place as the head coach of District Five’s Mighty Ducks.
(After writing the original draft of this article, a television adaptation is currently in the works.)
National Treasure
You know you want to see Nic Cage in a television show. And what better fit than a National Treasure television show. This is your dream, and if it isn’t, it should be. There has been a script in development for almost ten years for a third film, but so far nothing. Disney+ could be a place for the continuation of the National Treasure franchise.
National Treasure is about historian and treasure hunter Benjamin Gates (Cage) as he searches for a fabled treasure that is hidden somewhere in the United States. Once Gates finds out that there is an invisible map on the back of the Declaration of Independence, he decides to steal it so that his former expedition partner Ian Howe (the great Sean Bean) cannot steal it. With help from his best friend Riley (Justin Bartha) and Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), Gates uses the map to track down the greatest treasure of all time as both Howe and the FBI chase him.
You could do a couple of things here when it comes to the structure of the show. You can do an adventure per episode like how Young Indiana Jones was back in the day. Or, you could make it to where each season focuses on one big adventure with Gates and his team. You have to bring Cage back for it to be a continuation of the films. If Disney can’t (or won’t) spend the money on Cage and company, then you would have to reboot the story. Rebooting the story is possible, but in my eyes, No Cage is a No Go.
Holes
When the original novel for Holes was first released in 1998, it was met with massive praise from readers and critics. It has since become one of the most beloved young adult novels of the past few decades. Within five years, Walt Disney Pictures released the film adaptation, and it was a moderate success.
Holes tells the story of Stanley Yelnats IV, a young teenager who is falsely accused of stealing a pair of sneakers signed by his favorite baseball player. For over four generations, the Yelnats family have been cursed, due to a mistake made by Stanley’s great-great-grandfather. Stanley’s arrest is just another example of this neverending curse. Yelnats is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile corrections facility in the Texas desert, where young boys are forced to dig holes in the Texas heat as a form of punishment. The story follows Stanley and the boys of Tent D, while also telling the history of Green Lake, Texas, where the camp is located.
The story of Holes could be a fun television adaptation. It would have to be a reboot because the actors have all grown out of their roles, and I don’t think Shia LaBeouf would do it (no matter how much I hope). The book still has a loyal fanbase, and there is some nostalgia for the original film. Even if it doesn’t work as a television show, this is a property Disney+ should look to remake.
Tron
Along with The Mandolorian, a Tron television series could be the show that targets a mainstream audience. Tron: Legacy was met with mixed reviews when it was released, but it has since grown in popularity due to its visuals and music, just like the film’s predecessor. One of the biggest critiques of the film was its lack of character development, which is why a television show might be the necessary form for this story. A television show allows you to spend more time with these characters.
Tron: Legacy focuses on Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) being transported into the Grid, a virtual reality that his father and the protagonist of the original film, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), helped create. Kevin was trapped in the Grid over twenty years ago and now Sam is reconnecting with him. Sam must find his way back into the real world before Clu, the corrupt ruler of the Grid enters the real world in hopes of taking it over.
The Tron property gives you several possibilities, either by remaking the story or possibly continuing the story. If Disney+ is looking for more big-budget television content, this might be a perfect choice.
(After publishing this article, it was revealed that a Tron series was in development for a time.)
The Pacifier
After tackling franchises like The Fast and the Furious, xXx, and Chronicles of Riddick, Vin Diesel decided to try his hand at family comedy with the 2005 film The Pacifier. The film might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about movies that need TV adaptations, but The Pacifier has a fun premise that could give you a lot to play with as a television sitcom.
After the death of a Harold Plummer, a man who is working on a secret government project, Shane Wolfe, a Navy SEAL, is assigned to watch over the Plummer’s family as his wife goes off to Switzerland to open a safety deposit box he left to her. While Shane is searching for information on Plummer’s secret program at the family home, the family’s nanny quits and leaves Shane alone to take care of the kids. Cue the hijinks.
The Pacifier is another Disney film that reportedly has a sequel in development, but this film doesn’t feel like a film that Disney is interested in making anymore. Even though it was a surprise hit with audiences, it has been over ten years since the film’s original release. The story, however, could work in a television format, and it could be a solid family show for Disney+.
Halloweentown
The Halloweentown series was a fan favorite of kids growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s. It was one of the more popular Disney Channel Original Movies, and it had one of the more unique worlds.
The Halloweentown series focused on Marnie Piper, a young girl that finds out she is from a family of witches and warlocks. The series focuses on developing her powers through the teachings of her grandmother, Agatha Cromwell (Debbie Reynolds), one of the leading members of society in Halloweentown. Halloweentown is a world that is separated from the human realm and is home to mythical and fantasy beings like witches, ghosts, goblins, and monsters.
With the passing of Debbie Reynolds, it will be a little hard to continue the series as it was. Due to that, you would probably have to reboot the entire series. But, it is a world that could be expanded upon, allowing for a fun adaptation that appeals to both nostalgia fans and a younger audience.
Dick Tracy
The 1990 film, directed by Warren Beatty, was based on the Dick Tracy comic strip started in 1931 and has continued ever since. In both the comic strip and film, Dick Tracy is a crafty, no-nonsense police detective that fights to stop the organized crime community that is running rampant across his city.
Warren Beatty has been trying to make a sequel to his original film for years, but there have been constant legal disputes between him and Tribune Media, the distributors of the Dick Tracy comic strip. A few years back, a judge ruled in Beatty’s favor, allowing him to make a new film. Beatty has mentioned a sequel as recently as 2016, but nothing has been set in motion. Due to that, I think making a television show based on this IP could be a good alternative.
Beatty is getting older, so he can’t continue the role of Dick Tracy. You reboot the story and bring in a whole new cast. If the show followed the same visual style as the film and comic strip, then it could end up being one of the more visually unique shows out there. You could have Tracy following one case each season or a different case per episode. It’s a detective story, so there is a lot you can do with it. And there are also over 80 years of source material you could draw from if you so choose to. Disney, make my childhood dream come true.
Sky High
The world of Sky High could be a fun television show. It has a smart concept and the potential for some unique characters, especially within the superhero genre.
Sky High tells the story of Will Stronghold, the son of the world’s two greatest superheroes, as he attends his new superhero high school. While all of his friends and enemies have discovered their powers, Will still hasn’t developed any of his. He is seen as the next great superhero because of his parents, but due to his lack of powers, he is designated to the sidekick classes. These classes are for students with “small and unimportant” powers, like glowing in the dark or transforming into a guinea pig.
A show that is a coming-of-age tale about young superheroes trying to figure out who they are in life could be a concept that is worth exploring more. The original director of Sky High said that he is developing a sequel, but it might work better as a series. A lot has changed within the superhero genre since Sky High was released in 2005. Disney might not be interested in putting money into a non-Marvel superhero story, and they might also think the premise of a show focusing on the children of superheroes is too similar to Hulu’s Runaways. But, the world of Sky High could be a fun one to explore within a television format.
Enemy of the State
This adaptation is by far the most adult one here, but it could be one of the best. If done correctly, Enemy of the State (originally released by Disney-owned Touchstone Pictures) could be a timely conspiracy-thriller with a couple of A-list actors at the forefront.
Enemy of the State tells the story of Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith), a labor lawyer who is on the run from the NSA after he receives a video that shows the murder of a famous Congressman by a group of NSA agents. Dean enlists the help of Brill (Gene Hackman), a very secretive man that was once an agent for the NSA in its early days.
You can’t bring back Gene Hackman, and it is highly doubtful you can bring back Will Smith, so you’d have to do an updated version of the original story. The story, however, is very relevant today as we debate things like privacy, the roles of government, and technology. It is a complex story worth telling in a post-Snowden era. Honestly, this isn’t for Disney+. Put this on Hulu ASAP.
What do you think of these suggestions? What are some past Disney films you would like to see be given the television treatment on Disney+?
