Emma Roberts Returns to ‘Aquamarine’ for New Disney+ Series
Emma Roberts is heading back to the beach where it all began. Nearly 20 years after Aquamarine became a favorite among teen movie fans, the actress is returning to the…
Emma Roberts is heading back to the beach where it all began.
Nearly 20 years after Aquamarine became a favorite among teen movie fans, the actress is returning to the franchise that helped launch her career. This time, she's stepping behind the scenes too.
The actress is attached to a new TV adaptation of her 2006 teen comedy Aquamarine, which received a pilot order from Disney+ and Disney Channel, as reported by DEADLINE.
Roberts will guest star as Claire Brown and will executive produce the series, now two decades after she starred alongside JoJo and Sara Paxton in the original film.
A new mermaid mystery
A logline for the new project reads: "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."
Original Aquamarine director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum is also returning as director and executive producer. The series is written by Sarah Watson, while Susan Cartsonis also serves as an executive producer.
The original Aquamarine was based on Alice Hoffman's 2001 children's novel about two girls who discover a stranded mermaid. The movie marked one of Roberts' earliest roles before she went on to star in Nancy Drew, Scream Queens, American Horror Story, and more.
Roberts hoped for a return
Back in 2024, Roberts shared that she would love to revisit Aquamarine.
"What has made me so happy is that Aquamarine has had this other life on TikTok. It has been, no pun intended, resurfacing. People have been coming up to me in a way that I'm like, 'Do we need to make Aquamarine 2?' "
She added, "It's just so funny that I did that movie, not to age myself, 18 years ago. Like, that's crazy."
Sara Paxton still has a souvenir
Roberts isn't the only cast member with fond memories of the film.
Paxton, who played the movie's mermaid, told PEOPLE in 2024 that she still has a keepsake from the set of the 20th Century Fox film.
“I think I have the starfish earrings. They do [speak to me],” she said. “They used to be nicer, but now they're like, ‘Go to the gym.’ Now they're like my Apple Watch. ... I think they were given to me.”
The actress, 38, also said she doesn't get to see JoJo or Roberts very often because "you become adults and families and moving and all kinds of things and life takes over," but she's always happy to reconnect.
If they ever cross paths again, she said she's always down for "love and hugs."
