For All Mankind creator Ron Moore is preparing the first of a potential franchise of projects that will explore characters from Disney parks and classic films.
Disney is ready to bring the characters from its theme parks and classic movies to life in a new way.
The media giant has partnered with For all of humanity creator Ron Moore to develop a franchise for streamer Disney + set in Disney’s beloved Magic Kingdom. The first project is in the works as part of the so-called Magic Kingdom Universe The Association of Explorers and Adventurers, set in a world where all the thematic countries and characters of the Disney parks and classic films actually exist in a different reality.
Noted Disney superfan and For all of humanity creator Ron Moore will write and produce SEA for Disney + and 20th Television. The potential series is currently in the development phase. Moore will successfully build the Magic Kingdom universe and oversee the entire franchise. More would expand the franchise in a manner similar to the world he built from Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica and, more recently, what Marvel is creating for Disney +.
Disney + and 20th Television representatives declined comment.
For the Magic Kingdom Universe, Moore works closely with the Disney Imagineering team, the group of research and developers responsible for the creation and design of all of Disney’s theme parks around the world. Sources say a mini writer’s room is already being built and three high-level writers are being sought.
The idea, per sources, is to explore characters – such as sea boat captain of the Jungle Cruise or gold digger of Big Thunder Mountain or the climbers of the Matterhorn, for example – as part of the world of The Association of Explorers and Adventurers. (To be clear, none of those characters or storylines are on the table at this stage.)
In addition to Disney’s Imagineering team (which were featured in their own docuseries on Disney +), Maril Davis and Ben McGinnis – Moore’s longtime collaborators at his Tall Ship Productions banner – are also attached to SEA and the larger Magic Kingdom Universe.
The potential franchise – with a seemingly endless number of characters and stories to discover – is Moore’s latest collaboration at Disney since the For all of humanity and Outlander executive producer moved his overall deal from his old home at Sony TV to 20th Television. Carolyn Cassidy of 20th TV spearheaded Moore’s deal with the Disney-backed studio last summer during her tenure as president of the Fox-turned Disney studio. (As part of Disney’s December reorganization, Cassidy now serves as executive vp development under new president and former ABC star Karey Burke.)
Under the multi-year agreement, whose estimated resources are all-in in the eight-figure range, Moore and his Tall Ship Productions banner will create and develop new projects across the Disney portfolio. His first project under the pact is the Disney + series Swiss family Robinson, on which he is working with Jon M. Chu (Crazy rich Asians
Moore received multiple lucrative offers from other streamers and studios, but chose to leave money on the table to sign with 20th TV. Sony TV, sources say, was among those who struck a new deal with Moore. The independent studio, for which Moore delivered both Starz’s Outlander and Apple’s For all of humanity, offered a more lucrative deal, but Moore ultimately chose to sign with 20th TV and pursue his long-standing passion for Disney. (Moore was also instrumental in bringing Diana Gabaldon’s lover Outlander novels on television, with producers Sony TV currently preparing a spin-off.)
“I decided to go there, mainly because my childhood was built around a lot of things that were Disney. drive, ”said Moore The Hollywood Reporter podcast TV’s Top 5 in an interview this month“The chance for me to get started with a lot of the classic IP that Disney has and things in their library that meant so much to me as a child growing up that I eventually shared with my kids was just something that I couldn’t pass. ”Moore, who previously flirted with one Star Wars live-action TV series starring George Lucas for ABC owned by ABC nearly a decade ago, also noted that he’s eager to revisit the franchise as part of his lucrative new Disney pact.
The Magic Kingdom Universe would be a massive brand integration for Disney +. The year-old streamer has already revealed extensive plans for the worlds of Star Wars and Marvel with nearly a dozen live-action script series in the works for both franchises. Star Wars spur The Mandalorian and Marvel’s first Disney + series WandaVision have become critical and commercial breakouts for the platform. The Magic Kingdom Universe would further expand the worlds of Disney’s beloved theme parks and of course complement the selection of Disney feature films streamed exclusively on Disney +.
Moore is represented by CAA.