12 June 2023 , 16:30
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Two beloved TV shows are set to be given animated updates for a new generation of viewers, it's been announced - with the projects said to now be in early development at Sony.
An animated sequel to sitcom Bewitched is said to be in the works for Sony Pictures Television - Kids, which will follow on from the original sitcom which launched in the 1960s.
The popular original show followed witch Samantha Stephens who vowed to be a typical suburban housewife after having married ordinary man Darrin Stephens.
Others characters included the their daughter Tabitha Stephens and Samantha's mother Endora, alongside supporting roles of neighbours and friends in the community.
Bewitched aired from 1964 until 1972 (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
The show followed witch Samantha Stephens and her husband Darrin Stephens (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)The Hollywood Reporter reports that the animated sequel will focus on teenage Tabitha, who juggles two lives attending school while secretly enrolled in a magical academy.
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The outlet spoke to Joe D'Ambrosia, executive vp and general manager of SPT - Kids, who described the new show's premise as " Hannah Montana meets Harry Potter."
The original sitcom ran for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 until it concluded in 1972. The show starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha alongside Dick York as her husband Darrin, before the role was taken over by Dick Sargent.
The cast had also included Agnes Moorehead in the role of Endora, alongside a number of different actors who played Tabitha, who was notably played by Erin Murphy.
The show spawned a short lived spin-off Tabitha, which ran from 1977 to 1978, and more recently inspired the film Bewitched (2005) which starred Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, it isn't the only sitcom that will be given an animated update by Sony, as a new version of the Partridge Family is said to be in development.
The Partridge Family aired from 1970 to 1974, following a family who embarked on a music career (Redferns)The original show had followed widowed mother Shirley Partridge (played by Shirley Jones) and her five children, with the family embarking on a music career together.
It ran for four seasons from 1970 until it ended in 1974, with the show having launched the career of singer David Cassidy, who played Shirley's son Keith Partridge.
It's been reported that the new version will focus on a Black family from New York that operates a food truck, travelling through the five boroughs to serve up treats and tunes.
The outlet states that both animated projects are in early development and that neither had writers attached prior to the ongoing writers' strike that began last month.
Joe told the outlet: "There's such a vast history at [SPT] with properties that we could play around with and reinvent, introducing a whole new generation of kids to them."
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