If you have ever visited the Walt Disney World Resort, you have undoubtedly seen the massive, silver geodesic sphere that stands proudly at the entrance of EPCOT. Since 1982, Spaceship Earth has been the park's defining symbol, housing a beloved and educational dark ride. Now, Disney is looking to turn this iconic theme park landmark into its next big streaming hit.
Disney+ has officially handed a pilot order to a brand-new live-action television series inspired by the Spaceship Earth attraction. But if you were expecting a slow-paced documentary about the Phoenicians inventing the alphabet, think again. The streaming service is transforming the classic ride into a high-stakes, time-traveling teen sci-fi drama.
Here is everything we know about the upcoming pilot, the powerhouse creative team behind it, and how it plans to adapt the classic EPCOT attraction for the small screen.
The Plot: A Threat as Vast as Time Itself
The actual theme park attraction takes guests on a gentle journey through the history of human communication. The television adaptation, however, is ditching the textbook history lessons for a universe-ending adventure.
The official logline for the pilot promises a thrilling, time-bending narrative:
“When a mission to avert an imminent global cataclysm goes awry, a small band of teenagers from Earth's past and future must join forces to confront a threat as vast and mysterious as time itself.”
By assembling a team of teenagers from different eras in Earth's history (and future), the show honors the time-traveling aesthetic of the EPCOT ride while adding the narrative urgency of a modern streaming blockbuster.
The Creative Team: Marvel and Sci-Fi Veterans
To turn a slow-moving dark ride into a compelling drama, Disney has assembled a roster of creatives with deep experience in high-concept genre storytelling.
- Jason Fuchs (Showrunner & Executive Producer): Fuchs is set to serve as showrunner and will co-write the pilot. He most recently co-created and co-showran HBO Max's IT: Welcome to Derry. His impressive feature writing credits also include Wonder Woman, Argylle, and Ice Age: Continental Drift.
- Michael Waldron (Executive Producer & Co-Writer): Waldron is bringing his serious Multiverse credentials to the project as an executive producer and co-writer of the pilot. He is best known for developing the hit Disney+ series Loki and writing the screenplay for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He is also co-writing the upcoming MCU tentpole Avengers: Doomsday.
- Lee Toland Krieger (Director & Executive Producer): Krieger, known for his stylish work on You, Riverdale, and Shadow & Bone, will direct the pilot episode and serve as an executive producer.
- Adam Fishbach & Adam Fasullo: Both will serve as non-writing executive producers on the project.
The pilot will be produced by 20th Television, signaling an investment in the show's production value.
From Educational Dark Ride to Teen Drama
For Disney Parks fans, adapting Spaceship Earth is a massive deal. Housed inside the enormous geodesic sphere—affectionately known to generations of visitors as the giant golf ball—the ride has anchored EPCOT since opening day in 1982.
Inside, guests board Omnimover vehicles and travel through time to witness breakthroughs in human communication. The attraction covers everything from early Stone Age cave paintings and the invention of writing to the printing press, radio, Television, and technology.
Transforming a ride with no central characters, no villain, and no traditional plot into a character-driven sci-fi thriller is a massive creative leap. However, the core theme of the ride—that humanity's ability to communicate and work together is our greatest asset—could perfectly parallel the show's premise of teenagers from different eras uniting to save the world.
What’s Next for the Series?
Right now, Disney has only committed to a pilot order. This allows the studio to evaluate the cast chemistry and the execution of the sci-fi elements before committing to a full first season. Casting for the temporal teenage team is currently underway.
If it gets a full series pickup, Spaceship Earth will join a lucrative list of Disney Parks attractions adapted for the screen, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Jungle Cruise. For now, fans will have to wait and see if these time-traveling teenagers can secure a permanent spot on Disney+.
