Summary
A live-action series adaptation ofTotally Spies!is in the works at Amazon. Originally created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel, the original animated series premiered in 2001 and ran for over 200 episodes from that year until 2015.Totally Spies!season 7was recently announced and began to air in France in May 2024, with a U.S. release planned on Cartoon Network later this year.
The success ofTotally Spies!led to a prequel film titledTotally Spies! The Movieand a spinoff series,The Amazing Spiez!.
Now,Varietyhas reported that a live-action iteration ofTotally Spies!is in development at Amazon MGM Studios, with Banjay Kids & Family also involved.Will Ferrell will serve as executive producer of a young adult spin on the source materialthat will follow best friends Clover, Alex, and Sam as they navigate saving the world as international spies while trying to balance that life as first-year college students. Banjay Kids & Family CEO Benoît Di Sabatino and Gloria Sanchez Productions president Jessica Elbaum released statements that expressed their excitement about the show’s development. Check them out below:
Benoît Di Sabatino:’Totally Spies!’ is a huge success for Banijay Kids & Family, having been translated in 60 languages and sold to more than 220 territories. With a social media base of 3 million, the series continues to thrive in its animation form with the recently launched 7th season. Rola Bauer approached me for a live-action adaptation, and we were thrilled to partner with Amazon MGM Studios. With her, Ludovic Attal, and Punit Matoo’s support, we are honoured to join such a stronghold of female-focused producers in Gloria Sanchez Productions to produce for Prime Video.
Jessica Elbaum:Will, Alix and I are thrilled to be joining our partners at Amazon and Banijay to bring ‘Totally Spies!’ to life as a live-action show. Gloria Sanchez was originally founded to tell stories about complicated characters and empower female voices and storytellers. As longtime fans of the animated show, we couldn’t think of a story more fitting to our ethos. The themes of girl-power, never sacrificing friendship, fun, or your true self to be successful resonated with us then, and feel ripe to revisit now.
The Totally Spies! Live-Action Show Could Succeed Where The Powerpuff Girls Failed
A Live-Action Powerpuff Girls Was Scrapped At The CW
With a revival now airing in France and a live-action series announced, the latest installments ofTotally Spies!have the opportunity to succeed where the live-action adaptation ofThe Powerpuff Girlsfailed to materialize. Both animated series were endlessly compared by fans, andThe Powerpuff Girlspremiered just a few years beforeTotally Spies!came on the scene.The Powerpuff Girls' incredible successon the Cartoon Network also led to a feature film adaptation in 2002, and talks for a live-action adaptation on The CW began in 2020.
The 15 Best Cartoon Network Characters Of All Time, Ranked
From Adventure Time to The Powerpuff Girls, Cartoon Network has an impressive record of creating shows with hilarious and compelling characters.
Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, and Yana Perrault were cast as Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, respectively, and the pilot went into production shortly thereafter. After the pilot wrapped, The CW quickly said that the show would be reworked, and the script was rewritten after it leaked online and was met with an overwhelmingly negative reception from fans. However, Bennet left the series in August 2021, withthe show ultimately not moving forward after Warner Bros. regained the rightsto the characters in 2023.
With a live-action adaptation ofThe Powerpuff Girlsoff the table, Amazon has the golden opportunity tocapture that same audience withTotally Spies!in live-action form. With a likely massive budget through the involvement of Ferrell’s production company, the studio can create an adaptation that will appeal to not only die-hard fans of the animated property, but also new viewers who may be inclined to seek out the original source material too. In doing so,Totally Spies!could be an even bigger success than it is now.
Select episodes ofTotally Spies!season 2 are available to stream on Prime Video.
Totally Spies!
Cast
The series follows three high school girls, Sam, Clover, and Alex, who lead double lives as secret agents. Recruited by the World Organization of Human Protection (WOOHP), they juggle teenage life and undercover missions, using high-tech gadgets and teamwork to combat criminals and tackle global crises as they pop up.
