ABC found ratings success by adapting Disney's finest fairy tales into the one-hour drama series Once Upon a Time, so it's not surprising the network has turned to a theme-park ride from its parent company for inspiration as well.
Popular roller coaster Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is being adapted for a television pilot by the Disney-owned network, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation.
Chris Morgan (Wanted, Fast Five) will co-write the story with Ice Age: Continental Drift's Jason Fuchs, who will write the teleplay. ABC has ordered a script from ABC Studios, the individual said.
No word on what the show will have in common with the ride, but if it sticks with the theme presented to visitors at parks in California, Florida, Paris and Tokyo, it should have something to do with a mining town being destroyed by a natural disaster after settlers desecrate sacred Native American land.
Two other film projects have been developed based on Disney rides: Pirates of the Caribbean and 2003's less successful The Haunted Mansion.
