Disney+ is officially developing a new live-action supernatural series with the makings of a Stranger Things replacement. In news bound to surprise many, Disney+'s original slate has more on offer than just the usual Marvel and Star Wars fare, including its blockbuster Percy Jackson adaptation, which is about to enter its third season. The streamer is also working on adaptations of other major novels, such as Eragon, Animorphs, Warrior Cats, and now The Last Kids on Earth.
According to Deadline, Max Brallier's 10-book children's series, The Last Kids on Earth, is getting a live-action adaptation on Disney+. Between its coming-of-age themes and monster apocalypse focus, The Last Kids on Earth has all the pieces in place to be Disney+'s answer to Netflix's biggest hit yet, Stranger Things.
Netflix attempted to reimagine The Last Kids on Earth as a three-season animated series from 2019 to 2021, releasing in the gap between Stranger Things Seasons 3 and 4, arguably at the height of the sci-fi horror mystery series' popularity.
As Disney+ is officially working with Disney Channel on Last Kids on Earth, the adaptation will likely be much lower budget than Stranger Things or Percy Jackson, possibly landing closer to something like Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
Of course, that also means Last Kids on Earth is bound to carry a much lower age rating than the TV-MA Stranger Things, which is only fitting as Brallier's books target ages 8-12 and Netflix's animated show was rated TV-Y7-FV (for ages 7 and older due to more intense fantasy violence.
Stranger Things drew mass appeal during its five-season run, but was off-limits to most younger audiences due to its age rating. With Stranger Things' reign at an end (besides its ongoing Tales From '85 animated spin-off), The Last Kids on Earth makingshas all the making to be its successor, albeit mainly for younger viewers.
Why The Last Kids on Earth Could Be Disney+'s Stranger Things
Teens Face Supernatural Terrors
The Last Kids on Earth, much like Stranger Things, positions a group of teen friends as the world's last hope, forcing them to band together and take on creatures from other dimensions with no crazy resources or weapons to help.
Of course, their situations are a little different, as The Last Kids on Earth is post-apocalyptic and focuses on the sole survivors of a monstrous zombie attack, while Stranger Things is about preventing such an event. That said, the coming-of-age focus with touches of friendship and young romance are consistent through both.
Small Town Attacked By Monsters
The chaos of The Last Kids on Earth unfolds in Wakefield, Massachusetts, a fictional town set in a real U.S. state, similar to how Stranger Things takes place in the non-existent Hawkins, Indiana.
Both Hawkins and Wakefield serve as Ground Zero for a supernatural apocalypse from another dimension that threatens to engulf the entire planet, despite being relatively ordinary, quiet American communities.
It Even Has Its Own Vecna
Every good tale needs a villain, and where Stranger Things had Vecna, The Last Kids on Earth has Rezzoch. However, while Vecna was once Henry Creel, until he was transformed into Vecna by the Abyss and a supernatural stone, Rezzoch was always an alien being from another dimension who existed before time.
Rezzoch and Vecna have major similarities, as both control a hivemind of creatures and possess some psychic abilities. Their motivations to take over Earth to open up a new home for the monster legions are even rather similar.
