Love, Simon's Disney+ series has found its star. The upcoming show is inspired by Greg Berlanti's 2018 film of the same name, which was adapted from Becky Albertalli's young adult novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapien's Agenda. The film gained notoriety as one of the first teen romantic comedies from a major studio to be centered on a same-sex romance, targeted specifically at young adults. It was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike and even served as an empowering inspiration to many individuals. Now, its loving universe gets to live on once again with Disney.
It was announced earlier this year that Love, Simon would be getting its own series on Disney+, the Mouse House's upcoming streaming service. Though not a direct follow-up to the film, the series will exist within the world of Albertalli's novels and will be more of a spinoff of the novels instead. A majority of the cast will not be returning to star in the show, but the film's original screenwriters Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker have signed on as showrunners. Berlanti has also confirmed that he, unfortunately, will not be able to return to the director's chair for the series.
Now, more details have risen to the surface, as Deadline has confirmed that the series has found its lead in Annabelle Comes Home actor, Michael Cimino. The half-hour series, "begins production this month in Los Angeles," and follows Cimino's character, Victor, who's, "a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation." The only character that will be returning from the film will be Nick Robinson's titular character, Simon, who will be narrating the series. His character will also be interacting with Victor a handful of times on the show, mainly when Victor, "reaches out to Simon to help him navigate the ups and downs of high school," when it all, "seems too much." Robinson is also set to be producing the series.
The spinoff series comes in the wake of the Disney-Fox purchase, which unfortunately found Elizabeth Gabler's Fox 2000 banner closing down. Fox 2000 was the company that originally released Love, Simon, but because they couldn't match the commercial success of 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight, Disney ultimately decided to close it down. Thankfully, the Mouse House was able to find a home for the beloved property on their new streaming service, which will also feature highly anticipated new projects from Marvel and Star Wars.
Disney's acquisition of Fox was something that concerned a number of people. The idea of what could be rebooted or remade next lingers in the air amongst many movie fans, but bringing back a beautifully told and empowering story like Love, Simon is a brilliant idea on their part. Disney+ is sure to garner viewers of all ages, but having a series like this on the platform will be a great way to cater to young adults. Not only will it surely be a fun watch, but it'll tell an informative, loving, and incredibly important story.
Source: Deadline