Nickelodeon has reunited the voice cast of SpongeBob SquarePants for a prequel to the series and has greenlit a live-action movie based on its animated series The Loud House as part of its 2020-21 content slate.
The kid-focused cable network has also ordered a live-action series set in space, a Henry Danger spinoff and an animated series based on the best-selling Big Nate books, along with renewals for mainstays Paw Patrol and Blaze and the Monster Machines and additional episodes of sketch-comedy series All That.
The roster is the second for Nickelodeon under the leadership of Brian Robbins, who took over the network in fall 2018 and is now president of ViacomCBS Kids & Family. The series Nick has ordered aim to expand existing franchises and launch new ones, reflect the diversity of the network's target audience and find shows families will watch together.
The new projects set for 2020-21 are:
– Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years. Ordered to series in summer 2019, the CG-animated prequel to Nick's flagship series SpongeBob SquarePants will follow 10-year-old SpongeBob to summer camp. The series will feature the original show's core voice cast in Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy) and Mr. Lawrence (Plankton), along with series veterans Mary Jo Catlett (Mrs. Puff), Jill Talley (Karen) and Lori Alan (Pearl). Carlos Alazraqui and Kate Higgins will voice new characters. It premieres in July.
– The Astronauts. Nickelodeon's first co-production with Imagine Kids + Family, the 10-episode series will follow a group of kids who embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they're mistakenly launched into space. "The Astronauts stands as one of the most ambitious and cinematic stories Nickelodeon has ever told, and we are so proud to partner with Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, and Stephanie Sperber at their Kids + Family division, on this new series," said Robbins. Grazer, Howard and Sperber executive produce with writer and showrunner Daniel Knauf (Carnivale, The Blacklist) and director Dean Israelite (Are You Afraid of the Dark?). Jonathan Frakes and Marcus Stokes also direct. Premieres in the summer.
– The Loud House: A Very Loud Christmas. A live-action holiday movie based on the long-running animated series will find Lincoln Loud gearing up for the ultimate Christmas, only to find out most of his 10 sisters have plans to be elsewhere. Lincoln and best friend Clyde go on a mission to sabotage their plans and preserve the family's holiday traditions. Casting is underway, with production set for summer and a holiday-season premiere.
– Big Nate. Based on writer and cartoonist Lincoln Peirce's best-selling books, the animated series (ordered for 26 episodes) will center on the titular sixth-grader and his friends, with their adventures usually ending in disaster, detention or both. "With the greenlight of this show, Nate is getting one step closer to achieving true awesomeness," said Peirce. "I am thrilled to be collaborating with Nickelodeon on new adventures for this unlikely sixth-grade hero." Mitch Watson and John Cohen exec produce, with Peirce serving as consultant throughout development.
– Danger Force. A spinoff focusing on two characters from the original series, Ray/Captain Man (Cooper Barnes) and Schwoz (Michael D. Cohen), along with new characters played by Havan Flores, Terrence Little Gardenhigh, Dana Heath and Luca Luhan, who are new students at Swellview Academy for the Gifted. Series veteran Christopher J. Nowak executive produces, and Barnes and Henry Danger star Jace Norman produce. Premieres March 28.
Nick has also extended the first season of All That by 10 episodes, bringing its total to 36, and renewed The Casagrandes (season two), Blues Clues and You (season three), Paw Patrol (season eight), Blaze and the Monster Machines (season six), Bubble Guppies (season six), holiday competition Top Elf (season two) and anthology Are You Afraid of the Dark? (season two). It's also set a Feb. 29 premiere date for Tyler Perry's Young Dylan, starring the 10-year-old rapper.
