'Casper' Live-Action Horror Series In The Works At Peacock

Peacock is developing the latest iteration of "Casper" with a dark twist that explores the complexities of life.

Peacock's "Casper" is penned by "The Ghost Bride" head writer Kai Yu Wu, who also serves as the new series' executive producer. It is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, and DreamWorks Animation.

The live-action reimagined horror series is set in high school and follows the story of a family who arrives in the small town of Eternal Falls. The new series shows Casper entangled in a mystery uncovering dark secrets that have been buried for over 100 years, according to Deadline.

"Casper" was first introduced to audiences between 1945 and 1959 through a series of short animated films by Famous Studios. The character was acquired by Harvey Comics, which published the "Casper" comics beginning in 1952.

Since then, the friendly ghost has starred in multiple television shows, including "Matty's Funday Funnies," "The New Casper Cartoon Show," "Casper and the Angels," "The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper" and "Casper's Scare School."

Universal Pictures' hit movie "Casper" then came out in 1995, starring Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman and Devon Sawa, who played the titular character when he revealed himself in human form. The film grossed over $287 million worldwide despite a reported budget of $55 million, Variety reported.

The new live-action thriller series reportedly features CGI effects much like the 90s film, whose success gave birth to more live-action films, including "Casper: A Spirited Beginning," which was released in 1997. Distributed by 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment, the movie starred Lori Loughlin, Brendon Barrett and Steve Guttenberg.

The film led to the sequel titled "Casper Meets Wendy," which dropped in 1998 and featured Hilary Duff as a young and good witch who befriends Casper while on the run from an evil warlock. In the movie, Casper is shown as being mistreated by his uncles, also known as the Ghost Trio, who make his afterlife miserable, aside from scaring people for their amusement.

Two more animated films were produced in 2000 and 2006, respectively: "Casper's Haunted Christmas" and "Casper's Scare School."