Gargoyles Live-Action Series In The Works From Surprise Horror Director
Given that Disney has been cannibalizing its animated films to create live-action adaptations, it was only a matter of time before the House of Mouse began doing that with their most beloved TV series. Therefore, we weren’t that surprised when The Hollywood Reporter reported that we would be getting a Gargoyles live-action series adapting the fan-favorite series for Disney+.
What did surprise us, though, is that the series will be made by Atomic Monster, the production company started by horror legend James Wan.
Horror icon James Wan is producing a live-action Gargoyles series through his Atomic Monster banner.
Of course, Atomic Monster has another founder: Gary Dauberman. While audiences would likely love to see what a Gargoyles live-action film looks like coming from James Wan (especially if it was even half as bonkers as Malignant), it looks like it will mostly be Dauberman running the show. That’s quite literal, as he will be serving as the showrunner as well as writer and executive producer.
We can only assume that the Gargoyles live-action series will follow in the footsteps of the Disney Channel animated series that came before it. Long before James Wan established himself as one of the biggest names in horror, Disney’s Gargoyles premiered in 1994 and ran until 1997.
The original Gargoyles show is a nostalgic fave among fans for many reasons, including the fact that it was clearly inspired by other classic animated shows of that time period such as X-Men: The Animated Series…
The general plot of the show involved the titular Gargoyles being transported from a Scottish castle to New York City, where (much like Batman) they decide to protect the city and everyone in it.
The original Gargoyles show is a nostalgic fave among fans for many reasons, including the fact that it was clearly inspired by other classic animated shows of that time period such as X-Men: The Animated Series and especially Batman: The Animated Series (both of which had premiered two years previously).
At the time, darker and more mature animated shows felt very novel, and we were naturally curious about how much the live-action show would follow in the footsteps of its predecessor. Certainly, handing the project to James Wan’s production company implies Disney wants something darker, though being on Disney+ will likely limit how dark and violent things get.
With Halloween right around the corner, we’d love to see a Gargoyles live-action film that makes these animated statues even scarier than the Weeping Angels on Doctor Who.
That’s a shame because Gary Dauberman has so many horror credits under his belt that he could probably deliver a genuinely frightening Gargoyles live-action show. James Wan might be the bigger name thanks to the success of films like Aquaman (which grossed over a billion dollars), but Dauberman wrote three of the popular Annabelle movies and made his directorial debut with Annabelle Comes Home.
He also wrote and directed an unreleased (so far) film adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot and wrote both parts of the recent It movie that made Pennywise seem creepier than ever.
With Halloween right around the corner, we’d love to see a Gargoyles live-action film that makes these animated statues even scarier than the Weeping Angels on Doctor Who. Somehow, though, we think Disney tapped James Wan’s production company because they want something a little more like Aquaman and a little less like Annabelle.
Only time will tell, however, if audiences show up for a live-action Disney television animated series adaptation with the same fervor they have shown up for live-action animated film adaptations.
