You might remember that jaunty little theme tune which accompanied one of the animated iterations of Casper that sung of “the friendliest ghost you know”. Well, if the latest reports are to be believed then they’ll be nothing friendly about the new live-action adaptation of the classic cartoon, which is set to be a horror/adventure series that leans towards a “darker interpretation” of the cheery little spectre.
According to Deadline, Peacock is looking to resurrect Casper using the same approach that Warner Bros. Television took to their darker adaptation of Archie Comics’ Riverdale, and have tasked Netflix’s The Ghost Bride head writer Kai Yu Wu with bringing him to life “in a coming-of-age story that explores what it means to be alive”.
Casper will be set in a high school community and tell the story of a new family’s arrival in the small town of Eternal Falls, where the formerly friendly ghost finds himself entangled in a mystery uncovering dark secrets that have been buried for over 100 years. The new show is expected to use CGI effects to bring him to life.
Featuring in 55 theatrical cartoons made during 1945 and 1959 by Famous Studios, Casper also starred in numerous Harvey Comics publications around the same time. An enduring character, he then appeared in a number of television shows between 1959 and 2012, before most notably being the subject of the 1995 Spielberg produced blockbuster movie, which starred Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci, and went on to gross almost $300M worldwide.
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