Highlights
- Gargoyles, the beloved 1990s cartoon, is getting a live-action remake with the help of horror film directors James Wan and Gary Dauberman.
- Wan and Dauberman's experience in the horror genre made them the perfect choice to maintain the dark and intriguing setting of the original show.
- The adult themes and complex storylines of Gargoyles set it apart from other children's cartoons and fans are eagerly anticipating how the remake will revisit these elements.
Gargoyles will get a live-action remake, and Disney plans to bring in Aquaman 2 director James Wan to assist with the live-action reboot.
Wan, who has plenty of experience working in horror films, will be joined by Gary Dauberman, who also has plenty of experience working in the horror genre. Disney picked them not only because of their background in the horror genre but because those two have worked together quite a bit on the horror films they've made. Their experience in the genre should help the Gargoyles reboot maintain the setting it had during its heyday.
The Hollywood Reporter gave the full details of Disney hiring Wan and Dauberman for the live-action Gargoyles series. "Two major names in the creature feature business, Gary Dauberman and James Wan’s Atomic Monster banner, known for their collaborations on the hit Annabelle horror movies, have teamed up to remake the 1990s cartoon as a live-action series for Disney+," the Hollywood Reporter wrote. "Dauberman will write, executive produce and show run the series with Atomic Monster, the company run by Wan and Michael Clear, joining the executive producing ranks."
Wan's experience in horror dates back to before the Annabelle franchise, as he directed both Saw and Saw III in 2004 and 2007, respectively. He also started other horror franchises like Insidious and The Conjuring. Their experience with multiple profitable franchises likely explains why Disney has let them take the reins on this one. Gargoyles resonated with fans because it dared to cross lines that the other light-hearted and family-friendly cartoons Disney would put on around the same time wouldn't dare think of. Doing so is what made the show as good as it was. It kept up with some of Disney's rivals during the 1990s, like Batman: The AnimatedSeries and X-Men.
Gargoyles went over several pretty adult subjects for a show that was technically aimed at children, like genocide, murder, betrayal, and loneliness. There were also several twists and turns that none of the fans saw coming. Xanatos remains one of the more clever and devious villains Disney has ever conceived. The dynamic between Goliath and Demona as former-lovers-turned-enemies is one of the more fascinating and tragic subplots ever seen in a kid's show. Hence, fans should be ecstatic to see how they revisit them if they do.
There had been rumors that Gargoyles would be made into a movie, but given all the material that went into the show, it would have been hard to see how they could have converted that into one movie, especially since it's aimed at children. Those who remade Avatar: The Last Airbender into a live-action film learned that lesson the hard way. Luckily, Disney's not making that mistake, and they're also starting this all the right way by hiring two people who are more than familiar with horror.
The Gargoyles live-action reboot is currently in development.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter