Kenzi Richardson is trading her fangs for fins. The rising Disney Channel star, who spent the past year captivating young viewers as Vee in Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, has landed the lead role of Coral in Disney+’s upcoming series adaptation of Aquamarine, People confirmed in an exclusive report.
The new series borrows its world from the 2006 film of the same name but charts a different course. Rather than the lighthearted comedy fans remember, this version follows Coral as a teenager who relocates to a coastal town and starts digging into the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, only to discover her mother was a mermaid and that she herself has inherited magical abilities tied to the sea.
Richardson won’t be navigating the role alone. Jake McDorman, who played lifeguard Raymond in the original film, is returning as a series regular, while Emma Roberts is back as Claire Brown in a guest starring role and also serving as an executive producer. Bold Type creator Sarah Watson wrote the pilot script, Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum is directing and executive producing, and original film producer Susan Cartsonis is also attached as an executive producer.