Disney+ Scraps Live-Action GARGOYLES Series

Another attempt to get the Gargoyles franchise back on TV has crashed before it could take flight.

Disney+ is no longer moving forward with its planned live-action adaptation of the beloved animated series, according to Greg Weisman, who co-created the original show with Frank Paur and Greg Guler.

The news is especially frustrating for fans who have spent decades waiting for these characters to make a proper return to the screen. But there is an animated revival currently in development.

Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, Gargoyles originally aired from 1994 to 1997. Its relatively short run didn’t stop it from developing a loyal following, and it has remained one of Disney’s most respected animated shows from the era.

Its darker storytelling, mythology, serialized plots, and memorable characters have frequently earned it comparisons to Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series.

The franchise was eventually received a continuation in comic book form in 2006, kicking off a three-year run, and Dynamite has since continued exploring the property through comics.

Still, what many fans have wanted is another TV series.

There was a brief moment in 2023 when reports claimed Sir Kenneth Branagh, director of Thor and Death on the Nile, was developing a Gargoyles movie.

Weisman shot down that story, but something very was happening elsewhere at Disney.

Disney+ had brought in Gary Dauberman, whose credits include Annabelle, to write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner on a live-action Gargoyles series.

James Wan was also attached as an executive producer through Atomic Monster. Unfortunately, we’re never going to see what they had planned.

Following Disney+’s decision to scrap its Power Rangers project and Wonder Man Season 2, Weisman has confirmed that the live-action Gargoyles series is dead as well.

Speaking with Comics Online, Weisman explained:

“Well, I know the live-action side of it is, uh, the Atomic Monster had the license to develop a live-action Gargoyles for Disney+, and that’s dead. I have no idea about animation, but there are no current plans for live-action.”

While he says he has no idea about the animation side, Brent Spiner, who was a voice actor on the series, says he was told a animated revival was being developed.

With Disney+ leaning more heavily on its library of existing Disney entertainment while cutting back on some original streaming projects, it’s difficult to know when another Gargoyles series might get the green light.

Weisman would certainly be interested in returning to some of his past animated projects. The creator, who also served as showrunner on The Spectacular Spider-Man, was asked about the possibility of that series getting the X-Men ’97 treatment with a revival that continues the original story.

Unfortunately, he isn’t expecting it. “It seems unlikely. I wish I could say otherwise, but nothing would make me happier. I’d love to be wrong and get another chance to do it.”

The death of Disney+’s live-action Gargoyles series stings because this is a franchise that still has plenty of life in it. More than 30 years after its debut, fans continue talking about Goliath, Elisa Maza, Demona, Xanatos, and the rest of the Manhattan Clan.

At this point, animation may actually be the better path forward anyway.

X-Men ’97 showed how effectively a beloved animated property can return without tossing aside what made the original work.

Gargoyles has an established world, a devoted fanbase, unfinished possibilities, and one of its original creators who would love to revisit it.

Disney just needs to let these gargoyles wake up again.

Source: ComicsOnline