Freeform Is Stocking Up On Superhero Shows, Announces Plans For Misfits Remake

Okay, remakes are dangerous beasts, but can we have a moment of silence in the hopes that this particular one will be awesome? Following an announcement earlier today that Freeform (formerly ABC Family) would join in the Marvel Cinematic Universe game with the series Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, the network has now revealed it is developing a remake of the unabashedly awesome UK superhero (kind of) series Misfits.

The creators of the redo will be Gossip Girl co-creators Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, the latter of which also had his hands in creating The O.C. and Chuck. Since this is very, very early-goings, there’s no news regarding casting, story (will this just be season one, again?), or how loyal the tone will be considering the glitzy atmosphere of Freeform.

Here’s the official description of the remake from the network:

A drama based on a hit British series, a group of twenty-somethings are exposed to a mysterious chemical, and subsequently develop peculiar superpowers. The series is from ABC Signature Studios and executive-produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.

Originally created by Howard Overman, the British show told the tale of a group of delinquents who gain superpowers from a freak lightning storm (not a “mysterious chemical”) when forced to do community service together. Cue a lot of accidental murders, desperate attempts to cover up superpowers, and some surprisingly sweet relationships explored amidst the insanity.

Fans can be hopeful, but it’s unlikely that original cast members will return, since most were gone by the end of the show’s original run from 2009 to 2014. Silent Simon (Iwan Rheon) moved over to Westeros and became the infamous torturer, Ramsay Bolton, in season three of Game of Thrones. Weirder yet, Misfits lead Nathan (Robert Sheehan) starred as Simon in the flash-in-the-YA-pan The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, which was adapted into a less-than-stellar series on Freeform, Shadowhunters.

What do you think, though, can Misfits work as an American redo on a largely family-friendly network? Let us know in the comments section below.