Disney+ has officially given a pilot order to the upcoming series adaptation of Witch Mountain, based on the action fantasy adventure film franchise of the same name. Leading the cast is Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard, who has signed on to portray the role of a devoted and loving mother named Audrey. This marks Howard’s latest collaboration with the streamer after directing a few episodes of The Mandalorian.
Witch Mountain‘s pilot is described as a reimagining of the franchise. “It is a modern reinvention of the cult classic that takes place in the shadow of Witch Mountain following two teens that develop strange abilities and discover their sleepy suburb may not be as idyllic as it seems,” reads the logline.
She will be joined by young series regulars Isabel Gravitt (The Watcher) as Tia, Levi Miller (Streamline) as Ben, Bianca “b” Norwood (We Crashed) as Corey, and Jackson Kelly (Straight Man) as Peter. The full character descriptions are listed below:
- Audrey — Tia’s mother whose husband died from a mental illness. She tries to reassure a fretful Tia that she shows no sign of following her father’s dark spiral. A warm mama bear type, but like everyone in this town, not everything is as it seems.
- Tia — a straight-A student who’s regarded by her classmates as ‘perfect,’ although she regards herself as flawed. She’s terrified of failure and is plagued by nightmares and fears that her late father’s schizophrenia is starting to exhibit itself in her. Tia has ‘hallucinations’ in which people around her step outside their living bodies and voice their deepest, darkest fears and desires and rages.
- Ben — a troubled teen who makes ends meet by writing papers for other students. but he’s got a hot temper and if he slugs another student, he’ll be expelled. Ben is best friends with Corey, his co-worker at the diner. He’s recently made a troubling discovery about himself, he can force others in his vicinity to move according to his will and there’s something drawing him inexplicably in the direction of Tia.
- Corey — Ben’s closest friend, an outsider with tattoos, Corey is a very mature teen who comes across older than they are. They are one step away from expulsion and puts more care into looking like a My Chemical Romance song that became an anime fan. Corey works at the local diner alongside Ben and is in his circle of trust, but doesn’t appreciate it when he tries to act as their protector.
- Peter — Tia’s closest male friend. Peter is lovesick on the subject of Tia, but she’s unaware of his charms and equally unaware of his devotion. But when Tia expresses her concerns about the seemingly impossible happenings around them, she learns that Peter’s observant, cautious nature might be an asset in figuring out the mystery around them.
The Witch Mountain pilot will be written and executive produced by Travis Fickett and Terry Matalas. Augustine Frizzell is also set to direct and executive produce. Executive producers are John Fox and John Davis of Davis Entertainment, along with Gary Marsh. The Disney Branded Television series is produced by ABC Signature.
