"Aquamarine" Is Becoming a Disney+ Series — and Emma Roberts Is Returning
The 2006 cult-favorite mermaid movie "Aquamarine" is getting a series adaptation at Disney+ and Disney Channel, with original star Emma Roberts returning to guest star and executive produce. "The Bold Type" creator Sarah Watson writes, with the film's director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum attached, in Disney's latest bid to reboot a film property as TV.
The 2006 cult favorite "Aquamarine" is swimming back into the spotlight: a series adaptation has received a pilot order at Disney+ and Disney Channel, with original star Emma Roberts returning to both guest star and executive produce. Variety first reported the order.
Key Details
- Format: Pilot order at Disney+ and Disney Channel
- Returning star: Emma Roberts as Claire Brown (also executive producer)
- Writer: Sarah Watson ("The Bold Type")
- Director: Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, who directed the original film
- Source: Based on Alice Hoffman's novel
A New Story Beneath the Waves
The pilot's logline charts fresh waters: "When teenaged Coral moves to a dreamy seaside town, she begins unraveling the truth behind her mother's disappearance — and discovers her mother was a mermaid, awakening magical powers in Coral just as secrets beneath the waves threaten to surface." It's a notable evolution from the film, which followed best friends Claire and Hailey as they helped a mermaid named Aquamarine find true love.
The Talent Behind It
The project hails from writer Sarah Watson, creator of the popular Freeform series The Bold Type, who most recently wrote episodes of Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The film's director, Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum — whose TV credits include Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries and Ginny & Georgia — is attached to direct and executive produce, with original film producer Susan Cartsonis also executive producing.
Beyond Emma Roberts, the original Aquamarine starred Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, Sara Paxton, Jake McDorman and Arielle Kebbel. Though it underwhelmed critically on release, the film has since achieved genuine cult status — making it ripe for a nostalgia-driven revival.
Why This Matters
The pilot is the latest example of Disney mining its film library for television. Disney+ has previously ordered pilots adapting Holes and Witch Mountain, picked up Coven Academy to series in 2025, and is developing an Eerie Elementary adaptation. For fans who grew up on Aquamarine, the return of Emma Roberts — paired with a new mermaid mythology — signals Disney is betting that the film's cult following is ready to dive back in.