Attempts to revive Disney’s nineties animated series Gargoyles continue to stall. Series co‑creator Greg Weisman told ComicsOnline that a planned live action adaptation for Disney Plus is no longer moving forward, and he has no information on whether future efforts will be made to bring the cult favorite back.
Gargoyles originally aired from 1994 to 1996 during a wave of ambitious kids animation that included Batman: The Animated Series and X‑Men: The Animated Series. The show embraced serialized storytelling, opening with a five‑episode arc that introduced the clan of nocturnal guardians who turn to stone during the day. Their arrival in modern Manhattan came through the schemes of billionaire David Xanatos, voiced by Jonathan Frakes, who transported a Scottish castle to the top of a skyscraper.
While Batman has a spiritual successor in Batman: Caped Crusader and X‑Men has continued with X‑Men ’97, Gargoyles has never returned to television. The most recent reboot attempt did not involve Weisman or the original creative team and reworked the premise to make Goliath the last surviving gargoyle. The new version would have followed Goliath as he uncovered his past while working with NYPD detective Elisa Maza, shifting the concept toward a supernatural police procedural rather than the dramatic, genre‑blending tone of the original series.
Disney has been scaling back its streaming plans, recently canceling Wonder Man after one season and shelving a planned Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. Even so, there may still be hope for Gargoyles. Brent Spiner, who voiced several characters on the series, mentioned during an August episode of the podcast he co‑hosts with Frakes that a new animated project is in development.
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