Nearly two decades after the release of the cult-favorite mermaid film, Emma Roberts is returning to the world of Aquamarine—and the experience has proven more emotional than she anticipated. According to Geo TV, Roberts became visibly choked up while reading the pilot for Disney+'s upcoming spinoff series, a moment that caught even her off guard. The actress, who will reprise her role as Claire, now an adult, shared her excitement about bringing the character back to life for a new generation.

"I'm so excited for the new series. I absolutely cannot wait," Roberts said, according to the report. She went on to describe her unexpected reaction to the script, admitting, "I remember when I read the pilot, I literally got choked up. I didn't think I would have such an emotional reaction to it, but I definitely got a little teary-eyed."

The new project reunites Roberts with original director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, who is returning to helm the spinoff. Roberts is also taking on a greater creative role this time around, serving as an executive producer on the series. The show is being developed for Disney+, marking a significant platform upgrade from the 2006 theatrical release that originally introduced audiences to the tale of a teenage mermaid and her human friends.

While Roberts' participation is confirmed, the fate of other original cast members remains unclear. Sara Paxton, who played the titular mermaid, and Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, who starred as Claire's best friend Hailey, have not yet been officially announced for the project. However, Levesque recently hinted at the possibility, revealing that "there've been conversations, preliminary conversations," suggesting that fans may still see more familiar faces return.

For Roberts, the reboot carries a deeper significance beyond professional nostalgia. Reflecting on the original filming experience in Australia, she noted, "It feels really cool that we were all just a bunch of girls in Australia making a movie. And now it seems like it meant a lot to people, which means a lot to us." She also expressed curiosity about whether her five-year-old son will embrace the magical world she once helped create, joking that she wonders if he'll be captivated or demand to "turn it off."

Why this matters

The Aquamarine spinoff represents a broader trend in Hollywood of revisiting early 2000s properties to capitalize on millennial nostalgia, a demographic with significant streaming influence. For Disney+, the project adds to the platform's growing library of original content that leverages established intellectual property to attract both older fans and new younger viewers. The emotional response from Roberts also underscores how deeply these formative projects resonate with the actors who helped bring them to life, adding a layer of authenticity to the revival.

Twenty years later, the mermaid magic clearly hasn't faded. And if Roberts' teary-eyed reaction is any indication, Aquamarine is poised to make a splash with audiences all over again.