33 years later, ‘Free Willy’ is getting a second life at Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. is bringing back one of its most beloved family films. The studio is developing a reimagining of ‘Free Willy’, the 1993 movie about a boy and a captive orca, with a new writing team and a heavyweight producing duo attached.

The project has serious backing from a production company known for blockbuster filmmaking. Warner Bros. is developing a reimagining of the ’90s family adventure movie “Free Willy,” produced by Anthony and Joe Russo’s AGBO. AGBO’s Angela Russo-Otstot, Michael Disco, and Kassee Whiting will produce the film, with Anthony and Joe Russo serving as executive producers.

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The original franchise’s longtime producer is also staying involved. Lauren Shuler Donner, who has been attached to the franchise since the original 1993 release, is serving as an executive producer alongside the Russo brothers. Courtney Baker is co-producing, while Jesse Ehrman and Cate Adams are overseeing the project on behalf of the studio.

Who is writing the script?

Two writing partners have been brought on to shape the new version. The team has tapped Mary-Margaret Kunze and Jade Halley Bartlett to write the screenplay for the new movie. The pair have a history of working together. Kunze and Bartlett are creative partners under the Biscuit Belly Productions banner.

Both writers bring notable credits to the project. Bartlett made her directorial debut in 2024 with Lionsgate’s “Miller’s Girl,” a script she adapted from her original play, which was featured on the Black List in 2016, with Kunze producing. Bartlett made the Black List again in 2017 with “Mad,” based on a novel by Chloe Espoisto. She most recently created the Netflix series “Icebreaker,” based on the novel by Hannah Grace. Kunze most recently served as a non-writing co-executive producer on “The Boroughs” from the Duffer Brothers and Netflix.

Kunze’s earlier career included work on other well-known projects. She started her career as a creative executive at Marvel Television, working on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Daredevil,” among other shows.

What made the original film a hit?

The 1993 movie became a defining piece of 90s family entertainment. “Free Willy” was about an orphaned boy who befriends captive orca. It grossed $153.7 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.

The story followed a troubled kid finding purpose through an unlikely friendship. The original “Free Willy” follows a troubled preteen who finds his purpose in freeing an aging orca that was captured from the wild and put into a local aquarium as a tourist attraction. The film starred Jason James Richter in his film debut, along with Lori Petty, Jayne Atkinson, August Schellenberg, and Michael Madsen, with the orca Willy played by a real orca named Keiko.

The film’s success went beyond the box office. The movie’s popularity inspired a letter-writing campaign to get Keiko released from captivity at the Mexico City amusement park where he lived, a movement known as “Free Keiko.” The movie is also credited with changing public opinion about orcas and galvanizing activism on the species’ behalf.

“Free Willy” grew into a multi-film series after its initial success. Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home followed in 1995, and Free Willy 3: The Rescue closed out the original trilogy in 1997. A Free Willy animated TV series also aired for two seasons and 21 episodes from 1994 to 1995 on ABC. After the original trilogy ended, the franchise went dormant for a time before returning with the direct-to-DVD film Free Willy: Escape from Pirates Cove in 2010.