Everyone’s favorite friendly ghost, Casper, may be coming back for another haunting. The lovable and adorable spirit has a project in the works at Peacock that could bring him to streaming in a live-action format.
The new Casper project is in development at the NBCUniversal streamer, and would reimagine the origin of Casper through horror and adventure. The tale would be a coming-of-age story and approach the question of what it means to be alive, according to Variety. 100 years of secrets begin to unravel after a new family moves to Eternal Falls, and the mystery unfolds with Casper in the middle of it.
The potential series comes from writer and executive producer Kai Yu Wu, whose previous credits include Hannibal, The Flash, and The Ghost Bride. UCP and DreamWorks Animation are set to co-produce the project.
Casper the Friendly Ghost first debuted in the 1930s as a children's book, appearing in short films in the 1940s before being published by Harvey Comics in the late 1940s. Since then, Casper has appeared in multiple series, animated films, and numerous live-action films. The best-known of these is undoubtedly the 1995 film starring Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman.
The last Casper project on TV was the animated show Casper’s Scare School on Cartoon Network. The show lasted for only two seasons, from 2009-2012, with Casper’s voice actor different both times. Robbie Sublett was the voice in the first season, with Matthew Géczy taking over for the second season.
There is no word on who would play the iconic ghost and join the long lineup of previous actors who have had the honor, if the new Peacock project gets an order. With the series only in development, it may be a while until an actor is cast. It will be interesting to see who takes up the mantle and how it will be handled.
This Casper series definitely sounds intriguing. The friendly ghost is known to be a bit more light than other spooks on the small screen, but also a bit on the scary side. It seems like the Peacock version would lean more on the horror and mystery.
In the world of ever-growing technology, if the show moves forward, any CGI could be amazing. Characters like Sonic the Hedgehog and Clifford the Big Red Dog have appeared in live-action productions in recent years, and the new Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is performing well enough in the box office to prove that viewers will happily suspend their disbelief.
I am curious to see if anyone from previous Casper projects will make an appearance, but it’s too early to tell who all will be part of it. If it receives a series order, it could be a great way to recruit a new generation of Casper fans and bring in some older ones who grew up on earlier shows and the live-action movies. For some upcoming viewing options, check out our 2022 TV schedule.
