‘Witch Mountain’ TV Series Moving Forward at Disney+, Pilot Episode Set to Begin Production [Exclusive]

A new ‘Witch Mountain’ TV Series is officially moving forward at Disney+ with the pilot episode set to begin filming this month. Based on the sci-fi novel Escape to Witch Mountain written by Alexander Key, the series will be a reboot of the original film.

The pilot episode is expected to begin filming later this month in Toronto and we will be revealing the exact date in the upcoming weeks once we gather all the information and get confirmation on the same.

Last year, it was revealed that the series will be co-written by Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett, the duo behind the hit Syfy series, 12 Monkeys. Producers are John Davis and John Fox, who previously teamed on Dolemite Is My Name and Game Night. Davis will be producing through his company, Davis Entertainment.

Escape to Witch Mountain novel was adapted into a film trilogy by Disney in the 70s with the first film with the same title as the novel was released in 1975 followed by the second movie, Return from Witch Mountain in 1978, and the final third film Beyond Witch Mountain in 1982. The franchise was rebooted again with the 1995 TV Movie - "Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain" starring Elisabeth Moss and Erik von Detten. It was the remake of the original 1975 movie.

The most recent reboot of the original film was 2009s' Race to Witch Mountain directed by Andy Fickman and starring Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Ciarán Hinds, and Carla Gugino. It depicts the story of Sara and Seth, two extraterrestrial teens with paranormal abilities, who are looking for a route back to their home planet and drag a Las Vegas cab driver named Jack Bruno into their escapades. Before an invasion from other worlds arrives on Earth, the teenagers must locate their spaceship, which is concealed beneath Witch Mountain. Bruno finds himself tasked with aiding the youth while dodging government agents and an alien bounty hunter/assassin who is hot on their tail.

Race to Witch Mountain was the first film in the franchise to get a theatrical release and became a success even though it didn't receive favorable reviews from critics. With a budget of $50 million, the movie grossed $106 million, globally, making it a box office hit.

Although nothing regarding the plot of the upcoming Witch Mountain Disney+ series is known, we can expect it to follow similar plotlines as the previous films. We might see cast announcements and more details emerging regarding the show in the upcoming weeks, but till then, we have to wait and watch.