Emma Roberts attends the 2026 Disney Upfront at Jacob Javits Center in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/FilmMagic)
Emma Roberts is heading back to the beach—and this time, the return to Aquamarine is hitting her harder than she expected.
Nearly two decades after the beloved mermaid movie became a cult favorite, Roberts says reading the pilot for Disney+’s upcoming Aquamarine spinoff brought back a flood of emotions.
“I’m so excited for the new series. I absolutely cannot wait,” Roberts said, revealing she’ll reprise Claire as an adult.
But the biggest surprise wasn’t landing the role—it was her reaction to the script.
“And I’m so excited to bring Claire back to life as a grownup. I remember when I read the pilot, I literally got choked up. I didn’t think I would have such an emotional reaction to it, but I definitely got a little teary-eyed.”
The new series reunites the franchise with original director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, while Roberts also joins the project as an executive producer.
Whether the original stars, Sara Paxton and Joanna “JoJo” Levesque, will return remains uncertain, although JoJo recently revealed, “There’ve been conversations, preliminary conversations.”
For Roberts, the reboot is about more than nostalgia.
“It feels really cool that we were all just a bunch of girls in Australia making a movie. And now it seems like it meant a lot to people, which means a lot to us.”
She also hopes the magical world of Aquamarine wins over a new generation—including her 5-year-old son.
“I wonder if he’ll be into it or be like, ‘Turn it off.’”
Twenty years later, the mermaid magic clearly hasn’t washed away—and if Roberts’ emotional reaction is any indication, Aquamarine is ready for another wave.
