Ron Moore (Battlestar Galactica, For All Mankind) is bringing his creative talents to Disney+ to launch a franchise of streaming projects centered in what is being billed as a Magic Kingdom Universe.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Moore's first Magic Kingdom Universe project will be The Society of Explorers and Adventurers. The description displaces the characters and landmarks from various Disney theme parks and feature films into an alternate reality. While The Society of Explorers and Adventurers is reportedly in the development stage, the hope is its success will mirror what Disney has been able to build with the Star Wars and Marvel franchises on Disney+. Moore will serve as a curator for the Magic Kingdom Universe while writing and executive producing The Society of Explorers and Adventurers, which has reportedly assembled a small group of writers until three senior-level writers can be found and hired.
Some of the characters given as examples of what the Magic Kingdom Universe could look like include Jungle Cruise's sea captain, Big Thunder Mountain's prospector and Matterhorn climbers. However, it is noted that none of these characters are currently being developed for Magic Kingdom Universe at this point in time.
Ron Moore is currently under a multi-year deal with 20th Television/Disney after a previous tenure at Sony TV. Part of this reported eight-figure deal includes the creation of projects across Disney platforms, with the first being Swiss Family Robinson for Disney developed alongside Crazy Rich Asian's Jon M. Chu.
"I decided to go there mostly because my childhood was built around a lot of things that were Disney. I am a huge fan and aficionado of the Disneyland park in Anaheim to the point where I would go there by myself periodically and ride the rides," Moore TV's Top 5, a podcast from The Hollywood Reporter. "The opportunity for me to get to work on a lot of the classic IP that Disney has and things in their library that meant so much to me as a child growing up and that I have shared with my children ultimately was just something I couldn't pass up." Moore also teased that he has an interest in revisiting the creation of a Star Wars television series for Disney.
Magic Kingdom Universe would join franchises like Star Wars and Marvel in delivering more content to Disney+. After The Mandalorian became an instant hit, Lucasfilm announced several spinoffs such as Ahsoka, Rangers of the New Republic and The Book of Boba Fett. WandaVision is the first Marvel Studios series to debut on Disney+ and will be followed by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in March.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter