Ryan Coogler is bringing his filmmaking brilliance to the small screen.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the Oscar-winning filmmaker will executive produce the Animorphs TV series. Along with Coogler, his Proximity Media partners Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler, and Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman of Scholastic will executive produce.
The synopsis of the show reads, “Animorphs follows a group of teenagers who uncover a hidden threat lurking beneath their everyday lives, all while juggling relationships, curfews, and the chaos of high school.”
Written by K.A. Applegate, the Animorphs, follows five teenagers—and one alien ally—who are granted the power to “morph” into any animal they touch to combat a secret invasion of Earth by the Yeerks, parasitic slugs that take control of human hosts. The teens, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias, unite to use their powers within a secret resistance against the Yeerks and to save the world.
Over the course of 54 books, the series evolves from a monster-of-the-week adventure into a complex meditation on trauma and sacrifice, cementing its legacy as one of the most sophisticated children’s book series of its era.
The series is currently the second project under Coogler and Proximity Media’s TV deal with Disney. Coogler is currently working on a reboot of the X Files series starring Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel. It became official in February and will air on Hulu.
Gillian Anderson who starred on the original series praised Coogler for his vision for the reboot. He noted that the project is “different” and “special,” so fans should “give it a break.”
“We’ve had a few conversations,” Anderson said about Coogler during an appearance at Awesome Con. “He’s such a cool guy, and so talented. And the pilot script is really good. I would say, have an open mind and give it a chance, because it’s gonna be f—ing cool. It really is.”