Aquamarine Returns to Disney+
Disney+ Greenlights Aquamarine TV Series Revival Pilot, Emma Roberts to Guest Star and Produce
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Key Points
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Disney+ is developing the Aquamarine revival as a cross-network project with Disney Channel also involved, signaling a broader multi-platform rollout for the series.
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Emma Roberts will appear only as a guest star in the pilot rather than as a regular on the new series, while still serving as an executive producer.
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Roberts previously expressed optimism for Aquamarine 2 in 2024 and noted the film’s resurgence on TikTok, underscoring renewed fan interest in a sequel.
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The original Aquamarine achieved cult status on streaming platforms despite modest box-office returns, highlighting the enduring appeal of the property.
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Disney has a track record of rebooting film properties as TV series, including Holes and Witch Mountain, which provides context for the Aquamarine revival strategy.
Disney+ and Disney Channel have ordered a pilot for an Aquamarine revival series, nearly 20 years after the 2006 mermaid film first hit theaters, Variety reported on June 25, 2026. Emma Roberts, who played Claire Brown in the original, will return as a guest star and executive producer on the project.
The new series centers on a teen named Coral who moves to a seaside town, discovers her mother was a mermaid, and awakens her own magical powers. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in Wilmington, North Carolina, in August 2026, according to Port City Daily.
Original Film Flopped in Theaters but Found Cult Streaming Life
The 2006 Aquamarine earned just $23 million at the global box office against a $12 million budget, according to The Numbers. Critics were lukewarm — the film holds a 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes. But it found a massive second life on Disney+ and cable, where younger viewers kept it alive for decades.
That streaming popularity exploded again in 2023 and 2024, when TikTok's "Mermaidcore" trend pushed millions of views back to the film. Roberts noticed. "People have been coming up to me in a way that I'm like, 'Do we need to make Aquamarine 2?'" she told Access Hollywood in early 2024.
Original Director and Bold Type Writer Lead the Creative Team
Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, who directed the 2006 film, will return to helm the pilot and serve as executive producer. Her recent credits include Disney's Sneakerella and Netflix's Ginny & Georgia, according to What's On Disney Plus. Susan Cartsonis, a producer of the original movie, is also back as an executive producer.
Sarah Watson is writing the pilot. Watson created The Bold Type and wrote for Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, according to Deadline. Analysts at Laughing Place say her hiring signals a shift toward "warm, aspirational, and character-forward storytelling" — a departure from the slapstick tone of the original film.
Cross-Network Strategy Targets Both Gen Z and Gen Alpha
The pilot order spans both Disney+ and Disney Channel — an unusual cross-platform move. Industry analysts say Disney is trying to reach Gen Z, who grew up with the original film, and Gen Alpha, the new target audience for the network, according to Broadcast. The series was developed under the working title Saltwater.
The casting process drew enormous interest. Simkin/Sitowitz Casting received roughly 13,000 submissions for the lead role of Coral, Port City Daily reported. If the pilot is picked up to series, original cast members like Sara Paxton, who played the mermaid Aquamarine, could return as guests, according to Comic Basics.
Disney Betting on Nostalgia IP but Past Reboots Warn of Risks
The Aquamarine revival is part of Disney's broader push to revive 20th Century Studios properties with built-in fanbases. The studio is also developing The Devil Wears Prada 2 and recently released Freakier Friday, per The Hollywood Reporter. All three properties share a female-skewing audience and strong streaming histories.
But the path from pilot to series is not guaranteed. Disney developed a Holes TV adaptation that was cancelled in early 2025, and a Witch Mountain pilot starring Bryce Dallas Howard has yet to be picked up to series, according to Collider. Industry trackers view the Aquamarine pilot as an experiment rather than a sure bet.
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