Friendly ghost aficionados have something to look forward to as a brand new Casper series is in the works for Peacock. And this isn’t just an animated show for kids, but a live-action show that is said to be taking a darker approach to the material. According to Deadline, Peacock is developing what is described as a horror/adventure series centered on the popular character who has been around in some shape or form since the 1930s.
This particular take is being likened to what was done with Riverdale on The CW, which took the world of Archie Comics and gave it a much darker spin. That worked out pretty well, so Peacock is looking to potentially attract some subscribers with a dark take on Casper. Kai Yu Wu (The Ghost Bride) has been tapped to write and executive produce the show, which will be set in a high school. The report even provides a brief logline, which reads as follows:
“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.”
Audiences of a certain age are probably most familiar with the 1995 iteration of the character. A live-action film, simply titled Casper, starred Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman, as well as a young Devon Sawa, that turned into a pretty massive hit. Working against a budget of $55 million and under the direction of Brad Silberling, it earned $282 million worldwide. It has also become a film that many ’90s kids have a fondness for, serving as a bit of gateway horror, not dissimilar to Hocus Pocus for people of that generation.
However, that film did have a pretty lighthearted take on the material with some darker elements. Whether or not audiences respond to the Riverdale-esque version remains to be seen. There is no word yet on casting or just how soon production could begin.
For Peacock, this represents the latest attempt at NBCUniversal’s streaming service to get into the game in a meaningful way. The streaming landscape is incredibly crowded and competitive, with Netflix leading the way. Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount +, Prime Video, and many others are out there vying for subscriber dollars, not to mention more specialized services such as Shudder, which readers of this publication are no doubt familiar with. As such, getting a leg up in the streaming game isn’t easy, and using any recognizable IP is a strategy employed all the time in the hopes that a familiar name will attract some attention. We can only hope that results in a compelling take on the character as well.
The new Casper series does not yet have a release date.
