Disney is ready to go back to Witch Mountain! As part of a surprise announcement, Disney+ says it’s greenlit a Witch Mountain pilot. Disney’s new project is a reimagining of the cult classic film franchise that takes place in the shadow of Witch Mountain. The story follows two teens who develop strange abilities and discover their sleepy suburb may not be as idyllic as it seems. Disney’s new Witch Mountain pilot stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World franchise, The Village) and several others.
Bryce Dallas Howard plays Audrey in Disney’s Witch Mountain pilot. Audrey is Tia’s devoted and loving mother. Audrey’s husband died from a mental illness, and Audrey tries to reassure a fretful Tia that she shows no sign of following her father’s dark spiral. A warm mama bear type, but like everyone in this town, not everything is as it seems. Per Disney’s official press release: Howard is a multi-hyphenate creator who continues to work both on-screen and behind the camera. As an actor, she recently starred alongside Chris Pratt in Universal’s Jurassic World franchise and next stars in Matthew Vaughn’s spy thriller Argylle for Apple TV+. Earlier this year, Howard lent her voice to the Star Wars character “Yaddle” in the animated Disney+ series Tales of the Jedi.
Joining Howard for Disney’s Witch Mountain are Isabel Gravitt (The Watcher), Levi Miller (Streamline), Bianca “b” Norwood (We Crashed), and Jackson Kelly (Straight Man). Travis Fickett and Terry Matalas co-wrote the pilot and are executive producers; Augustine Frizzell (Euphoria) will direct and is an executive producer on the pilot. John Fox and John Davis of Davis Entertainment are executive producing as well as Gary Marsh.
Gravitt plays Tia, a straight-A student who’s regarded by her classmates as “perfect,” although she regards herself as flawed. She’s terrified of failure and is plagued by nightmares and fears that her late father’s schizophrenia is starting to exhibit itself in her. Tia has “hallucinations” in which people around her step outside their living bodies and voice their deepest, darkest fears and desires, and rages.
Miller plays Ben, a troubled teen who makes ends meet by writing papers for other students, but he’s got a hot temper, and if he slugs another student, he’ll be expelled. Ben is best friends with Corey, his co-worker at the diner. He’s recently made a troubling discovery about himself, he can force others in his vicinity to move according to his will, and something is drawing him inexplicably in the direction of Tia.
Norwood plays Corey, Ben’s closest friend, an outsider with tattoos, Corey is a very mature teen who comes across as older than they are. They are one step away from expulsion and puts more care into looking like a My Chemical Romance song that became an anime fan. Corey works at the local diner alongside Ben and is in his circle of trust, but he doesn’t appreciate it when he tries to act as their protector.
Kelly plays Peter, Tia’s closest male friend. Peter is lovesick on the subject of Tia, but she’s unaware of his charms and equally unaware of his devotion. But when Tia expresses her concerns about the seemingly impossible happenings around them, she learns that Peter’s observant, cautious nature might be an asset in figuring out the mystery around them.
There have been several films in the Witch Mountain franchise, including Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), Return from Witch Mountain (1978), and Beyond Witch Mountain (1982). Disney rebooted its Witch Mountain property in 2009 with a film directed by Andy Fickman. The reboot starred Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, and AnnaSophia Robb in a paranormal adventure revolving around aliens and a shadowy organization.
Are you interested in Disney’s Witch Mountain pilot? Do you have nostalgia for this franchise? Let us know in the comments section.