'Ultra Violet & Blue Demon': Wrestling Superhero Series Picked Up By Disney Channel
We typically don't cover Disney Channel original series on /Film, but we've heard good things about Ultra Violet and Blue Demon from a trusted friend of the site, so we wanted to put it on your radar in case your kids are looking for something good to watch. The series, which involves wrestling and superheroes, has officially been picked up after finding young actress Scarlett Estevez to star as its 13-year-old heroine. It also provides a showcase for what a new press release describes as "a predominately Latinx main cast and producing team," which is worth celebrating.
Disney Channel star Scarlett Estevez (Bunk'd) has been cast in a lead role, joining legendary luchador and professional wrestler Blue Demon Jr., who is playing a version of himself. Here's the official description of the show:
The series unfolds as a magical luchador mask selects 13-year-old Violet to become Ultra, the superhero successor to her uncle, who is the famous Mexican wrestler Blue Demon Jr. and a superhero-in-disguise. Ultra begins her own secret superhero training with her uncle, all while having to navigate the ups and downs of middle school. As they start to work together, Uncle Blue realizes he can learn a few things from Ultra's modern Gen-Z take on crime-fighting.
The pilot episode was written and executive produced by Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, whose previous credits include One Day at a Time and the 2019 Ryan Reynolds film Pokémon Detective Pikachu. Blue Demon Jr. is executive producing alongside Dan Carrillo Levy and Eugenio Villamar, and the show is directed by Alejandro Damiani, a writer, producer, and visual effects artist whose credits include the 2013 remake of Evil Dead, The Girl in the Spider's Web, and a satirical short film called M.A.M.O.N. which stands for Monitor Against Mexicans Over Nationwide and depicts a giant robot version of Donald Trump:
As for the supporting cast, Marianna Burelli plays Violet's mother, Nina; Juan Alfonso plays Violet's father, Sebastian; Brandon Rossel plays Violet's brother, Miguelito; Zelia Ankrum portrays Violet's best friend, Trudy; and Bryan Blanco takes on the role of Violet's goody-two-shoes classmate Enrique Diaz-Diaz.
There's no word yet about exactly when this will debut, but again, we've heard it's worth checking out and wanted to put it on your radar in case current children's programming is driving you insane in quarantine.