A reboot of the animated series Clone High is in development from original co-creators Phil Lord & Chris Miller. The original Clone High premiered in 2002, focused on a high school which is populated by clones of notable historical figures created and nurtured to have their strengths harnessed by the U.S. military. The show also functioned as a parody of teen dramas, from Dawson’s Creek to Beverly Hills 90210, with each installment of the series introduced as "a very special" episode. Clone High was greeted with mixed reviews, but, in the years since its cancellation, it’s been reexamined by pop culture audiences and analysts as an underrated gem that ended too soon.
Now, more than two decades after the last episode of Clone High aired, the show is making a comeback. Phil Lord and Chris Miller will produce a reimagining of Clone High, along with co-creator Bill Lawrence. Like the original, the updated version will follow prominent historical figures that have been cloned and placed back in high school, including Abraham Lincoln, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and John F. Kennedy. Erica Rivinoja, a writer on the original series, will serve as showrunner and co-write the pilot with Lord and Miller.
Lord and Miller have become household names since their early days on Clone High. The duo won an Academy Award for their work on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and spearheaded successful projects like the 21 Jump Street film series and The Lego Movie. Lawrence has kept busy as well, creating the popular comedies Scrubs and Cougar Town.
Unlike other popular animated shows that are currently being revived in some form, such as Beavis and Butt-Head, the original Clone High concluded abruptly after just one season due to low ratings and controversy regarding its depiction of Gandhi. The reimagining of Clone High will be a second chance for a show that was underappreciated during its original run.