HBO Max is going to high school. The streaming service has handed out a two-season order to the “Clone High” reboot from original creators Christopher Miller, Phil Lord and Bill Lawrence.
“Clone High” was among three adult animated series pickups on Wednesday, part of an expansive slate that includes four additional projects in development.
Among the new series are a “Scooby Doo” spinoff, “Velma,” that will star Mindy Kaling, and “Fired on Mars,” an existential workplace comedy set five minutes in the future led by “SNL” castmember Pete Davidson. Additionally, HBO Max has picked up two more seasons of “Close Enough” ahead of that comedy’s second season premiere on Feb. 25.
“Clone High” is a modern refresh of the 2000 MTV comedy that features high school-aged clones of famous historical figures Abraham Lincoln, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc and John F. Kennedy. It only ran for 13 episodes but gained a cult following in the years after its cancelation.
Erica Rivinoja, who was a writer on the original series, will co-write the pilot with Lord and Miller and serve as showrunner. Lawrence will executive produce. It’s among a number of MTV reboots produced out of MTV Entertainment Studios, joining “Daria” (with its spinoff “Jodie”) and “Beavis and Butt-Head.” Both of those were grabbed by Comedy Central. A “Celebrity Deathmatch” reboot is also in the works.
“Velma” is an origin story about the brainy Velma Dinkley, the most underappreciated member of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang. Kaling will voice Velma and executive produce. Charlie Grandy, Howard Klein and Sam Register also serve as executive producers. “Velma” is out of Warner Bros. Animation.
“Fired on Mars” is a workplace comedy set on Mars at a modern tech company. Davidson will voice a character and executive produce with Carson Mell, Dave Sirus and creators Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey.
Finally, HBO Max also has four additional animated series in development from the likes of Michael B. Jordan and Ed Helms, which you can about below:
HELLO PAUL
From creator and musician Sean Solomon, “Hello Paul” is about a neurotic millennial cat whose intense job and freeloading mouse roommate stress him out.
OBI
“Obi” is about a 30-year-old man-child chasing his dream to become an artist while navigating adulthood with his friends. Produced by Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, Michael Schreiber for Studio71, and David Devries, OBI is an adaptation of Obi Arisukwu’s popular Instagram comic strip. This project is co-created by Obi Arisukwu and Arthur Harris (“The Last OG”).
UNCANNY VALLEY
Executive producer Ed Helms with creators/executive producers Brendan Walter and Greg Yagolnitzer tell the story of three awkward domestic helper robots who kill their human owners and try to assume their identities. “Uncanny Valley” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Helms and Mike Falbo’s Pacific Electric Picture Company. Andrew Guest is also an executive producer/writer.
COVER
Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack are adapting their acclaimed DC comic book series “Cover,” an animated espionage thriller and conspiratorial love letter to the comic book industry that was nominated for multiple Eisner Awards. Bendis will write the series and Mack has signed on to direct. “Cover” is produced by Rooster Teeth Studios.