Aquamarine is returning to Disney with Emma Roberts attached, giving one of the mid-2000s’ most recognizable teen fantasy titles a new life as a potential television series.
Disney+ and Disney Channel have ordered a pilot for a continuation of the 2006 film, which introduced Roberts as Claire Brown alongside Joanna “JoJo” Levesque as Hailey and Sara Paxton as the mermaid at the center of the story. Roberts is expected to guest star in the pilot as Claire and will also serve as an executive producer, placing one of the original film’s key faces behind the new version.
The pilot order does not mean a full season has been approved. It signals that Disney is testing a new take on the title before deciding whether to move ahead with a series. For fans who grew up with the film, the news gives the project an immediate nostalgia hook. For Disney, it brings back a recognizable family-friendly property at a time when library titles continue to find second lives through streaming and social media.
Aquamarine Pilot Centers On A New Teen Mystery
The new Aquamarine story is not described as a simple remake. The pilot follows Coral, a teenager who moves to a seaside town and begins uncovering the truth about her mother’s disappearance. Along the way, Coral discovers that her mother was a mermaid, a revelation that awakens magical powers as secrets beneath the water begin to surface.
That premise shifts the focus away from the original film’s friendship-centered summer story while keeping the ocean fantasy setting intact. The 2006 movie followed Claire and Hailey during their final days together before Hailey’s planned move. Their summer changed when they found Aquamarine, a mermaid who had washed ashore after a storm and needed help proving that love was real.
The pilot’s new lead character gives Disney room to build a broader coming-of-age mystery. It also allows Roberts’ Claire to return without making the show depend entirely on the original trio. No full cast list for the pilot has been announced in the initial reports, and Disney has not announced a premiere date or series pickup. That framing positions the pilot as a sequel-style continuation instead of a beat-for-beat retelling, giving the new story room to stand apart from the film that introduced Claire, Hailey, and Aqua.
Emma Roberts Returns As Claire Brown
Roberts’ return is one of the strongest attention points around the Aquamarine pilot. The actress was still in the early part of her screen career when the original film reached theaters in 2006. She later became known to wider television audiences through projects including Scream Queens and American Horror Story, while also building credits as a producer.
Her role in the pilot is expected to be a guest appearance, not a confirmed lead role. That distinction matters because the new story appears designed around Coral rather than Claire. Still, Roberts’ involvement gives the project a direct connection to the movie that many viewers remember from cable reruns, DVD shelves, and more recently, streaming.
Roberts has also acknowledged the film’s renewed online attention in recent years. In a 2024 interview, she noted that Aquamarine had resurfaced on TikTok and suggested that the affection around the movie raised the question of whether another chapter should happen. The Disney pilot now puts that conversation into a formal development track.
Original Aquamarine Team Members Are Back
The pilot also brings back notable creative names from the 2006 film. Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, who directed the original movie, is attached to direct and executive produce the pilot. Susan Cartsonis, who produced the film, is also attached as an executive producer.
Sarah Watson, creator of The Bold Type, will write the pilot and serve as an executive producer. Watson’s credits add a coming-of-age television background to the project, which may help the new version balance teen drama, friendship, identity, and fantasy elements for a current Disney audience.
The original Aquamarine film was based on Alice Hoffman’s 2001 children’s novel of the same name. The 2006 screenplay was written by John Quaintance and Jessica Bendinger. Initial reports say Hoffman, Quaintance, and Bendinger are not attached to the pilot.
Aquamarine Keeps Its 2000s Appeal
The original Aquamarine arrived in U.S. theaters on March 3, 2006, during a wave of teen movies built around friendship, music, beach settings, and bright coming-of-age stories. While it was not positioned as a major franchise at the time, it remained visible among viewers who connected with its mix of mermaid fantasy and young friendship.
The film’s appeal has lasted in part because its central relationship was not only about romance. Claire and Hailey’s friendship carried the story, while Aquamarine’s arrival pushed both girls to face change, courage, and the fear of growing apart. Those themes give the title a softer emotional base than many simple reboot candidates.
The timing also gives Disney a recognizable hook for viewers who were children or teens when the film first arrived and may now be watching new family programming with younger streaming viewers. The pilot can reach longtime fans through Roberts and the title itself while giving new audiences a fresh lead in Coral.
For now, the project remains at the pilot stage. The confirmed pieces are the Disney+ and Disney Channel pilot order, Roberts’ guest role and executive producer credit, Rosenbaum’s return as director and executive producer, Watson’s script role, and the new story built around Coral.
