Mattel and Nickelodeon are looking to make a graveyard smash together. Monster High, Mattel’s toy line centering around the daughters of classic monsters (think Frankie Stein, Draculaura, and Clawdeen Wolf), is returning from the grave with two new projects for television.
Deadline reports that Mattel and Nickelodeon are teaming up to develop a two-fold Monster High reboot — both as a live-action TV musical feature film, and a brand new animated series.
The TV movie will be written by Jenny Jaffe (Big Hero 6), Greg Erb, and Jason Oremland (Princess and the Frog), while the Shea Fontana (DC Superhero Girls) will serve as showrunner for the animated series. Per Deadline, the animated series will follow the characters “as they navigate the hilarity of high school in the hallowed halls of Monster High.”
This will be the first time that Monster High will make its live-action debut, though it’s not the first Hollywood attempt to bring these ghoulish teens to life. Universal had long been attempting to develop a live-action feature adaptation of Monster High, first hiring Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar before signing Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage to steer the big-screen adaptation in 2013. The project fell apart, however, and the world was left without Monster High for a few more years.
But now Monster High is coming back to life for a new generation — which is strange to say, since the Mattel toy line was only launched in 2010 and spawned a variety of animated projects over the years. But the kids that grew up on Monster High have probably graduated by now, leaving a new class ready for the teen Monsters again.
“These classic monsters have always captured kids’ imaginations and we are so excited and proud to welcome Monster High to our brand for a new generation of kids,” said Ramsey Naito, President of Nickelodeon Animation. “We have terrific partners on board at Mattel to create original content in different formats, and, with the expertise of the Nick creative team helmed by Claudia Spinelli on the animation development side, and Zack Olin and Shauna Phelan on the live-action side, we can’t wait to showcase the comedy and adventure of these characters as they defy expectations and take on the world.”
“Monster High’s strong message of inclusivity is more relevant than ever,” added Fred Soulie, General Manager, Mattel Television. “Nickelodeon shares our passion for the brand and its purpose having worked on the franchise when it first launched more than a decade ago. They are the ideal partners to bring these beloved characters and their stories to life through episodic television and the live-action television movie.”
Both of these Monster High projects are set to premiere on Nickelodeon in 2022.
The post Mattel and Nickelodeon Team Up to Reboot ‘Monster High’ With a Live-Action Musical and a New Animated Series appeared first on /Film.
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