A new SpongeBob SquarePants prequel series has been greenlit by Nickelodeon. The cartoon series focusing on the sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea started back in 1999, with Tom Kenny as the voice of the titular character. The character was a hit for Nickelodeon, which resulted in two feature-length movies, video games, comics, and a TV series that's still running to this day.
Over the years, SpongeBob SquarePants has gained a huge following from kids and adults alike. Nickelodeon has had several successful shows during their time on the air, but SpongeBob SquarePants is no doubt one of their most popular. After 20 years of the character's antics with his friends Sandy Cheeks, Patrick Star, Squidward Tentacles, and Mr. Krabs, Nickelodeon looks to be expanding the franchise even more than they already have. In the middle of February it was announced that Nickelodeon was developing SpongeBob spinoff shows, which were possibly going to give characters like Sandy or even Plankton their own show. Now, it looks like Nickelodeon is officially moving forward on one of these spinoffs.
According to Deadline, a spinoff under the working title Kamp Koral has been greenlit by Nickelodeon. The show will start off with a 10-episode season, that will chronicle the life of a 10-year old SpongeBob who attends Summer camp. The official synopsis hasn't been revealed yet, but the prequel will show the young SpongeBob having fun at camp with his friends while they swim in Lake Yuckymuck, build bonfires, and of course, go jelly-fishing. The show is said to begin production this month, with Marc Ceccarelli and Vincent Waller on board to co-executive produce.
While Nickelodeon is planning SpongeBob's first ever spinoff series, they're also looking to continue the film side of the franchise. The third SpongeBob SquarePants movie was announced back in 2017, two years after The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was released. The third film will be titled The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge, and is also said to be an origin story about Bikini Bottom. The film was thought to be about SpongeBob meeting his friends at Kamp Koral, but now that this prequel series has been announced, the plot of the movie could slightly change.
With this year marking the 20th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants, it's no surprise that Nickelodeon is expanding the franchise. The franchise has become incredibly lucrative for Nickelodeon, who has seen competition from streaming services in recent years. Some may be disappointed that another SpongeBob character won't be the center of the first spinoff, but focusing on a young SpongeBob is likely a safer bet for Nickelodeon. It's also likely that more movies and spinoff shows could be released in the coming years if Kamp Koral does well. Needless to say, SpongeBob SquarePants doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.
Source: Deadline