Director, writer, and actor Kevin Smith says he was working on a streaming series based on Ridley Pearson's Kingdom Keepers novels to launch alongside The Mandalorian on Disney+, where Artemis Fowl and other films are currently releasing early due to coronavirus closures. However, the project was apparently canceled after a "new exec" was put in charge of the app.
Smith first mentioned the project during an episode of his Fatman Beyond podcast, and elaborated on the cancellation via Twitter Sunday after his comment was reported by theme park-focused news organization Attractions Magazine. He said the project was "a blast to write 2 years ago," but included too much Disney IP in one place given Pearson's fantasy novels focus on theme park characters coming to life.
Though Smith is arguably best known for Clerks and the "View Askewniverse" films, most recently 2019's Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, he has also handled other IP in the past — particularly writing superhero comics like Green Arrow and directing episodes of shows like the CW's The Flash.
No doubt his take on Kingdom Keepers would have been fun to watch. However, Disney+ owners can still look forward to The Mandalorian season 2, which wrapped filming last month.
Sources: Attractions Magazine, Kingdom Keepers