Emma Roberts Returns to 'Aquamarine' as Disney Greenlights TV Series Pilot!

Disney+ and Disney Channel have jointly issued a pilot order for a new live-action series adaptation of the beloved 2006 fantasy film “Aquamarine.” This project marks a significant move for Disney in expanding its film properties into television series, building on the original movie's growing cult status.

Emma Roberts, who famously starred as Claire in the original “Aquamarine” movie, is confirmed to guest star in the pilot, reprising her role as Claire Brown. Beyond her on-screen return, Roberts will also serve as an executive producer for the project. Roberts has had a prolific career since her initial role in “Aquamarine,” starring in films such as “We’re the Millers,” “Palo Alto,” and “The Art of Getting By.” She is also widely recognized for her frequent collaborations with Ryan Murphy, notably featuring in multiple seasons of “American Horror Story”—a role she played for over 10 years before concluding in 2024—and the Fox series “Scream Queens.” More recently, she had a small role as Peter Parker’s mother, Mary Parker, in the film “Madame Web.” While her return to the “Aquamarine” universe is a highlight for fans, her role is specified as a guest star, suggesting her presence may not be in every episode.

The creative team behind this new adaptation includes Sarah Watson, who is writing the pilot episode. Watson is widely known for creating the popular Freeform series “The Bold Type,” which ran for five seasons. Her recent work includes writing multiple episodes for the Disney+ series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and creating the CBS medical drama “Pure Genius.” Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, who directed the original “Aquamarine” film, is also returning to direct and executive produce the pilot. Susan Cartsonis, who produced the original film, will likewise serve as an executive producer. However, the original film’s writers, John Quaintance and Jessica Bendinger, as well as author Alice Hoffman, whose novel inspired the film, are not involved in the new pilot.

The logline for the upcoming “Aquamarine” pilot hints at a fresh narrative direction: “When teenaged Coral moves to a dreamy seaside town, she begins unraveling the truth behind her mother’s disappearance—and discovers her mother was a mermaid, awakening magical powers in Coral just as secrets beneath the waves threaten to surface.”

The original 2006 “Aquamarine” film, based on the novel by Alice Hoffman, featured Roberts as Claire alongside Joanna “JoJo” Levesque as Hailey, Sara Paxton as Aquamarine, Jake McDorman, Arielle Kebbel, and Claudia Karvan. The film followed best friends Claire and Hailey as they embarked on an adventure to help the sassy mermaid Aquamarine find true love within three days to avoid an arranged merman marriage. Although the movie was not particularly well-received upon its initial release, grossing $22 million against a $12 million budget, it has steadily achieved cult status over the years, becoming a favorite among fans through streaming on platforms like Disney Plus and Tubi.

This “Aquamarine” series pilot is part of Disney’s broader strategy to adapt its existing film properties into television series. This approach has previously seen pilot orders for adaptations of “Holes” and “Witch Mountain,” as well as commissioned pilots for shows such as “Coven Academy,” which was picked up to series in 2025, and an upcoming adaptation of the “Eerie Elementary” books.