Disney+ may be heading back to class. The streamer is developing a series adaptation of Stuart Gibbs’ bestselling Spy School novels, with Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort company on board to executive produce, according to a new report from Variety.
From Bestselling Books To The Small Screen
The Spy School series spans 14 books, beginning with the original novel in 2012, and the collection has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. The 14th installment, Spy School Goes East, arrives in October 2026. The story follows Ben Ripley, a teenager who dreams of joining the CIA and is recruited to a science-focused magnet school, only to discover the campus is actually a front for a CIA academy.
Per Variety’s report, Chris Fedak is attached to write and executive produce. Fedak is best known for co-creating and showrunning the beloved NBC spy comedy Chuck, and his credits also include Prodigal Son, Deception, and the Michael Bay film Ambulance. Emma Watts will executive produce alongside Maximum Effort and Gibbs himself, with 20th Television serving as the studio under Maximum Effort’s first-look deal.
Disney+ Keeps Betting On YA Books
Spy School is the latest young adult book-to-series adaptation to land at Disney+. The streamer is home to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which is heading into its third season, and is currently prepping a live-action Eragon series along with an adaptation of Animorphs. Disney+ previously aired two seasons of a series based on R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books.
The project joins a busy development slate for Disney’s streaming and linear brands, which just greenlit The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen with Raven-Symoné and Adrienne Bailon returning. No casting or premiere window has been announced for Spy School yet, but we will keep you posted as the project develops.
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