Disney+ has released a trailer for its upcoming show based on Trenton Lee Stewart’s series of middle-grade novels, which began with the 2007 bestseller The Mysterious Benedict Society. It stars Emmy winner Tony Hale, of Veep and Arrested Development fame, as the genius Mr. Nicholas Benedict, who lives with narcolepsy, and Bob’s Burgers’ Kristen Schaal as his assistant, Number Two.
The books primarily follow the exploits of four talented children—Reynie Muldoon (played in the show by Mystic Inscho), George “Sticky” Washington (Seth Carr), Kate Wetherall (Emmy DeOliveira), and Mr. Benedict’s adopted child, Constance Contraire (Marta Kessler). In the first installment, Mr. Benedict asks the kids to infiltrate the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, whose founder, Ledroptha Curtain, has an evil plan—and a surprising connection to Mr. Benedict. The series will premiere on June 25.
The show was previously going to appear on the Hulu streaming service but was moved to Disney+ in November, as Variety reported at the time. Both services are majority-owned by Disney.
Stewart has published a total of six Benedict Society–related books, including a prequel, 2012’s The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, which features Mr. Benedict as a child. The most recent entry, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages, came out in 2019.
Hale also serves as a producer on the show, which is written and executive-produced by the eclectic screenwriters Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay; they co-wrote the popular buddy-cop movies Ride Along (2014) and Ride Along 2 (2016), as well as the 2018 crime thriller Destroyer and the 2015 horror film The Invitation.
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
