Goosebumps Series on Disney+ Adds Justin Long

A new TV series inspired by the Goosebumps series of books from author R.L. Stine is currently being developed for Disney+, with Variety revealing that Justin Long has been cast in the series. Given that the nature of the novels means a focus on kids facing a variety of terrors, Long will instead reportedly be playing Nathan Bratt, who the outlet notes is "the new schoolteacher who develops a terrifying connection to a decades-old supernatural murder." This new take on Goosebumps was announced earlier this year by Disney+, though it doesn't currently have a release date on the streamer.

Per the series' official logline, "The series follows a group of five high schoolers who unleash supernatural forces upon their town and must all work together -- thanks to and in spite of their friendships, rivalries, and pasts with each other -- in order to save it, learning much about their own parents' teenage secrets in the process."

Back in the '90s, the Goosebumps series inspired a TV show that would adapt specific stories, sometimes in complete episodes and other times stretching the narrative out over multiple chapters. There have been two Goosebumps feature films, one released in 2015 and one in 2018, that blended together various components from the franchise. The upcoming series will reportedly borrow elements from five of the most beloved Goosebumps storylines, with each high schooler likely facing their own well-known threat from the stories.

This casting update will surely excite fans, if only for the confirmation that the project is moving forward. Just this past July, even Stine admitted he hadn't heard many updates on the status of the project.

"I'm not really in the loop on the TV show, but my understanding is that it's not going to be an anthology series, it's going to be a continuing story," the author teased to Yahoo! Entertainment. "But honestly, I haven't heard any more about it than that."

While Stine has been a seminal figure in literary horror for years, he's earned a resurgence in recent years in other mediums. In addition to this new Goosebumps series, last year saw the debut of a trilogy of Fear Street films, all inspired by his novel series, while his comic series Just Beyond was also adapted into a Disney+ series. The author also claims that there are talks of more Goosebumps films being made.

Stay tuned for details on the new Goosebumps TV series.

Are you looking forward to the new Goosebumps TV series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!