Warner Bros. is moving forward with a reimagining of “Free Willy,” the 1993 family adventure film about a boy who befriends a captive orca, with Anthony and Joe Russo’s production company AGBO producing, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the project.
Mary-Margaret Kunze and Jade Halley Bartlett have been tapped to write the screenplay for the new film. The pair, who are creative partners under the Biscuit Belly Productions banner, previously collaborated on Lionsgate’s “Miller’s Girl,” which Ms. Bartlett wrote and directed in 2024 with Ms. Kunze producing.
The original “Free Willy,” which starred an orca named Keiko, grossed $153.7 million worldwide on a $20 million budget and spawned two theatrical sequels, a direct-to-video continuation and an animated television series. Michael Jackson’s theme song for the film, “Will You Be There,” reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum. The film is also credited with shifting public attitudes toward orcas in captivity and fueling activism on the species’ behalf, a legacy CBR notes remains part of its cultural footprint more than three decades later.
AGBO’s Angela Russo-Otstot, Michael Disco and Kassee Whiting will produce the new film, with Mr. Russo and Mr. Russo serving as executive producers alongside Lauren Shuler Donner, who has been attached to the franchise since the original 1993 release. Courtney Baker is co-producing, while Jesse Ehrman and Cate Adams are overseeing the project for the studio.
Ms. Kunze’s credits include a stint as a non-writing co-executive producer on Netflix’s “The Boroughs” from the Duffer brothers, as well as producing roles on Blumhouse Television’s “A House on the Bayou” and “The Thing About Pam.” She previously worked as a creative executive at Marvel Television, where she served as a co-producer on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Cloak & Dagger,” “Daredevil” and “The Runaways.”
Ms. Bartlett’s script for “Miller’s Girl,” adapted from her original play, landed on the Black List in 2016. She made the list again the following year with “Mad,” based on a novel by Chloe Espoisto. She most recently created the Netflix series “Icebreaker,” based on the novel by Hannah Grace.
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