Disney’s Witch Mountain franchise has been beloved by fans for nearly 50 years. Now, the franchise that has 5 movies will be getting its first attempt at the small screen with a Disney+ series simply titled Witch Mountain.
The Disney+ project is set to begin filming the pilot on November 5 in Los Angeles, Ca. While The Midgard Times has reported a Toronto shoot, we are unsure if the studio will film in both locations but it is surely possible.
The series is co-written by Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett, the duo behind the hit Syfy series, 12 Monkeys. Producers are John Davis and John Fox, the duo behind the hit comedy Game Night. Davis will produce through his Davis Entertainment production banner.
The Walt Disney Company’s Witch Mountain franchise is based on the 1968 science fiction novel Escape to Witch Mountain, written by Alexander Key. The events of the story follow two teenage orphans named Tony and Tia, who have paranormal abilities. The pair, who have little recollection of their past, are placed into a juvenile detention home by social services. After being released to a man self-described to be their “uncle”, they discover his nefarious plans in using them for personal gain. Over the events of the book, the two remember their true nature as extraterrestrial life who came to Earth, when their home-planet was being destroyed. The duo escape with the remainder of their people, who call themselves “Castaways”.
The Walt Disney Company released a feature film adaptation in 1975, which was mostly faithful to the source material. The film was one of the studio’s most successful live-action films at that time. Following the positive response to the film, the franchise continued with later installments, which included two sequels Return to Witch Mountain and Beyond Witch Mountain, as well as a remake to Escape to Witch Mountain in 1995 and once again in 2009 with Race to Witch Mountain, which starred Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, and Alexander Ludwig.
