It's been announced that Disney+ has ordered an 8-episode series based on the best-selling BOOM! Studios graphic novel series from iconic children’s writer R.L. Stine titled Just Beyond! The project hails from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter author Seth Grahame-Smith and will be produced by 20th Century Fox Television. On the film end of the spectrum, Grahame-Smith previously served as the screenwriter for Tim Burton's DARK SHADOWS, THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE and Dexter Fletcher's upcoming remake of THE SAINT, starring Chris Pine.
Here's the official synopsis for Just Beyond, courtesy of Boom! Studios:
Best-selling author R.L. Stine (Goosebumps, Fear Street) comes to BOOM! Studios in this Dogman era with a new four-volume middle-grade supernatural horror series; Just Beyond! In this first volume R.L. Stine partners with artists Kelly & Nichole Matthews (Pandora’s Legacy) to bring his signature horror to an all-new generation! WELCOME TO THE SCARE SCHOOL.
Middle school feels like the worst place imaginable, but for Jess, Josh, and Marco, their school may actually be the worst place in this world…or any other!
After a chance encounter with a deadly creature stalking the school halls, these three unsuspecting students are whisked away to a horrifying realm beyond the school boiler room where they must unravel a terrifying mystery. Can they save the kids they find there and escape themselves, or will they be forever trapped Just Beyond?
"I grew up watching “Twilight Zone” reruns and the original “Amazing Stories” with my parents,” said Seth Grahame-Smith. “I've always wanted to make a genre anthology series that families could enjoy together, and do it in a way that delivered for kids and adults alike. R.L. Stine has been a part of millions of childhoods, and Disney+ has already proven itself as a place that knows how to make high-quality shows for the whole family. I couldn't be more excited to be working with both of them."
“Back in the day, we had a Goosebumps HorrorLand attraction at Walt Disney World,” said author R.L. Stine. “It was one of the thrills of my life. Now I'm thrilled to be back with Disney for the TV series based on my graphic novels. Writing “Just Beyond” for BOOM! Studios has been a joy from the beginning, and I'm so happy to have the wonderful screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith bring the series to life on Disney+. How lucky can I be?”
You know what? I enjoyed the heck out of GOOSEBUMPS, the 2015 film adaptation of Stine's world-famous young adult horror book series, and I'm more than ready for another one of the author's properties to come to terrifying life on the small screen. While I've yet to read Just Beyond, that's something that's easily remedied thanks to the power of online comic book retailers and my trusty PayPal account. In fact, I think I'll purchase the collection later today and dig into it over the weekend. Stine's Goosebumps and Fear Street novels were a highlight of my youth, and I'd very much like to see that Disney polish applied to one of the author's latest projects. Let's go!
A writers room is being assembled and the series is expected to come to Disney+ in the fall of 2021.