"The Mysterious Benedict Society," Original Series Based On The Bestselling Books, To Premiere On Disney+ Next Year

BURBANK, Calif. (November 13, 2020) - "The Mysterious Benedict Society," based on the award-winning and bestselling book series by Trenton Lee Stewart, will be coming to Disney+ in 2021. This series was originally developed for Hulu.

The show stars Emmy(R) Award winner Tony Hale ("Veep," "Arrested Development") in the titular role and features a standout ensemble of young actors. Placed undercover at a boarding school known as The Institute, a group of orphans must foil a nefarious plot with global ramifications while creating a new sort of family along the way. The original book, upon which the eight-episode first season is based, was named a Time magazine "Best Young Adult Book of all Time" and sold over 3 million copies.

"'The Mysterious Benedict Society' is a beautifully executed adaptation of the celebrated and beloved book series. It's original, clever and fun for the whole family, which makes it the perfect fit for Disney+," said Dana Walden, chairman of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television. "One of the great benefits to creators working with our company is that we have a platform that's right for every series, and having seen the first few episodes of this show, there is no better home for it than Disney+."

"Disney+ has established itself over the last year as the streaming home for a diverse slate of high-quality content featuring beloved franchises, stories and characters," said Ricky Strauss, president, Programming and Content Curation, Disney+ and Hulu. "We're thrilled to add 'The Mysterious Benedict Society' to Disney+ and know it will captivate our viewers' imagination with exciting new worlds and capture the hearts of audiences of all ages."

Said series writers/creators Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, "We are so thrilled that Disney+ will be the home for our show. What a great place to be! It's a beautiful thing to feel as supported and inspired as we have, every step of the way, by our entire team at 20th, Hulu and the Disney family; and we are honored and gratified by the belief in the show this represents. From the moment Jamie and Karen brought us these fantastic books, through our collaboration with Todd, Darren, Tony and our amazing cast and crew, we've felt very lucky. Certainly feeling that way today."

Added showrunners Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer, "We're excited to help bring Trenton Lee Stewart's wonderful book and Matt and Phil's exquisite adaption to Disney+. It is the perfect platform for the Mysterious Benedict Society and we can't wait for the world to see this show."

"The Mysterious Benedict Society" is executive produced by Sonar Entertainment, 20th Television, Jamie Tarses, Karen Kehela Sherwood, Matt Manfredi (writer/creator) and Phil Hay (writer/creator). Showrunners for the series are Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin.

The show stars Tony Hale, Kristen Schaal ("Bob's Burgers," "Last Man On Earth"), Ryan Hurst, MaameYaa Boafo, Gia Sandhu, Seth Carr, Emmy DeOliveira, Mystic Inscho and Marta Timofeeva.

The show is produced by 20th Television, one of the Disney Television Studios.

About Disney+

Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. As part of Disney's Media and Entertainment Distribution segment, Disney+ is available on most internet-connected devices and offers commercial-free programming with a variety of original feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. Alongside unprecedented access to Disney's incredible library of film and television entertainment, the service is also the exclusive streaming home for the latest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+. Visit DisneyPlus.com to subscribe and/or learn more about the service.

About 20th Television

One of the Disney Television Studios, 20th Television is a prolific supplier of the industry's most iconic entertainment programming, including the No 1. Series on all of broadcast, NBC's THIS IS US from Dan Fogelman; Fox's No. 1 drama, 9-1-1 and its spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star from Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear, its No. 1 comedy LAST MAN STANDING starring Tim Allen; Hulu's recent smash hits SOLAR OPPOSITES from Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan and LOVE, VICTOR from Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger and Brian Tanen; FX's No. 1 series AMERICAN HORROR STORY from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk; TBS' No. 1 series AMERICAN DAD created by Mike Barker, Matt Weitzman and Seth MacFarlane; and the longest-running primetime scripted series in the history of television, THE SIMPSONS, in addition to dozens of others. 20th Century Fox Television shows have amassed a collective 1322 Emmy nominations and 300 Emmy wins, as well as multiple Golden Globes, Humanitas Prizes and Peabody Awards. The studio's landmark series from its 70 year library include such classics as BATMAN, M*A*S*H, GLEE, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, BONES, BOB'S BURGERS, EMPIRE, FAMILY GUY, 24, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, FUTURAMA, KING OF THE HILL, NEW GIRL and THE X-FILES.