Greg Berlanti’s ‘Love, Simon’ Being Developed As A TV Show For Disney+

Love, Simon was a huge success upon its release, for a relatively smaller film in comparison to the massive blockbusters at the box office. The film was critically beloved, as per this Roger Ebert review. Now, Variety confirms that Love, Simon is being developed into a TV series for the Disney+ streaming service.

The 2018 movie Love, Simon was all about a closeted teenager Simon (Nick Robinson), who struggles with revealing his sexual preference to his friends and family. When he ends up connecting with an anonymous teenager online who can relate, the two start corresponding, leading to Simon’s entire world being turned upside down as he frantically tries to hold on to his secret, while affecting the relationships in his life.

The film was directed by TV mogul Greg Berlanti, responsible for many of the DC Comics television shows currently on The CW, such as Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl. Berlanti’s directorial efforts were applauded in Love, Simon, with the film winning the Best Feature Film at the 2019 GLAAD Awards. Despite this, the Variety report claims that Berlanti may not be involved in the TV development of Love, Simon. This is due to the production studio that the film was made under, and their deal with Berlanti.

Love, Simon was made for the Fox 2000 banner, which has been shut down after the buyout of Fox by Disney, as per Screen Rant. Berlanti’s deal was with Fox, so seemingly, Disney does not need to bring him on board for the development of the TV series. This definitely feels like a major mistake on the part of Disney, given Berlanti’s massive television credentials.

Berlanti’s incredible IMDb page showcases his TV empire, where he’s produced an astonishing number of shows, most of which are still on the air. On top of the TV shows currently on air at The CW adapted from DC Comics, Berlanti is also a producer of Titans, Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, Doom Patrol, and Riverdale, all airing on other networks. Besides the comic book adaptations, Berlanti is also the producer of general shows such as Deception, You, and All American.

So not involving Berlanti in a TV adaptation of his own feature film in Love, Simon seems like an oversight on the part of Disney. It still remains unclear whether the new show will feature an all-new cast, or if the actors from the film will be returning, or whether the TV show will be a continuation of the movie or a complete reboot.