Ryan Reynolds to reboot CIA spy thriller series for Disney

Ryan Reynolds has been quietly burrowing deeper into Disney’s universe, and not just as the wisecracking bloke in a red suit. Beyond his Deadpool antics, he’s been making himself useful through his Maximum Effort production banner, which already has a first-look agreement with 20th Television. If you’re wondering why you keep seeing his face pop up in unexpected places, it’s because Disney+ has become something of a home for him—see Underdogs, the docuseries about his SailGP racing team (the one he owns with Hugh Jackman, because why not).

Now, there’s a new project brewing that’s a bit off from the usual Ryan Reynolds fare. He’s not jumping off buildings in this one, but rather donning his producer hat for a family series that hasn’t got a Marvel, Star Wars, or Pixar logo plastered over it (and no, it’s not yet another reboot). Instead, Disney+ is developing Spy School, based on Stuart Gibbs’ long-running books about—you guessed it—kids being trained as undercover agents.

Grown-Ups Bringing Kid Spies to Disney+

Here’s the set-up: The Spy School books have been doing the rounds since 2012, and they kick off with young Ben Ripley, who thinks he’s been invited to a science-focused magnet school. Classic twist coming: it turns out he’s been recruited to a clandestine academy where the curriculum is all about spycraft. Think of it as Hogwarts for aspiring CIA agents, but with less magic, more surveillance.

For the series adaptation, Reynolds is executive producing through Maximum Effort. But he’s not doing it alone:

• Chris Fedak, best known for creating Chuck (another show about an ordinary person recruited for secret missions), is writing and executive producing. Fedak’s also done stints on Legends of Tomorrow, Prodigal Son, and Deception—all heavy on plot threads and genre-twisting, so he’s not new to this type of TV.
• Stuart Gibbs is staying onboard as an executive producer. Always reassuring to fans who've been living in these books for over a decade.
• Emma Watts joins the production team, and she’s got heavyweight experience: she previously teamed with Reynolds on Deadpool and has been involved with studio behemoths like X-Men, Kingsman, Planet of the Apes, Maze Runner, and Avatar.

Why Disney+ Wants Another "Original" Family Franchise

The interesting bit is that Disney+ is properly investing in a family adventure that doesn’t piggyback off an old IP or a monolith like Marvel. With Spy School, they finally get the shot at building up a franchise from middle-grade books that already have a loyal following, while kids’ adventure adaptations are having a real moment.

Worth mentioning: the next book in the series, Spy School Goes East, is set for release on 6 October. Not a bad bit of timing for Disney to ride the book’s publishing wave as the show inches forward in development.

Still, Disney+ hasn’t had smooth sailing turning youthful adventure brands into hit series. Evidence:

• National Treasure: Edge of History—recognisable brand, got the axe after only one season.
• Willow—not just cancelled, but quietly pulled entirely from the platform.
• Goosebumps—you’d think that classic kids’ horror would survive, but both Disney+ and Hulu ended the show after two seasons.
• The Mysterious Benedict Society—again, popular book series, managed two seasons then done.
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians—the rare exception: season two was ordered and then renewed for a third before the second even aired.

Disney’s clearly hoping Spy School becomes more Percy Jackson than yet another forgotten one-and-done. If you want the most telling quote floating about, here’s the basic energy from the production camp:

'We’re betting that the book’s built-in fan base, with a creative lineup like this, puts Spy School on the map.'

Time (and perhaps Disney’s patience) will tell how this one pans out.