Darby and the Dead First Look Released

Hulu released the first look at Darby and the Dead, the upcoming teen supernatural fantasy film That stars Riele Downs (The Best Man Holiday) as the titular Darby Harper, Moana star Auliʻi Cravalho, Shazam! star Asher Angel, Chosen Jacobs (IT: Chapter Two), and Genneya Walton (#BlackAF) along with familiar faces in Derek Luke, Tony Danza, and Wayne Knight. Darby and the Dead is directed by Silas Howard, whose directing credits include the new A League of Their Own TV series, The Afffiar, Pose, This Is Us, and Transparent, among many other works. 

Darby and the Dead originally went under the title "Darby Harper Wants You to Know", which was a spec script written by Becca Greene and Wenonah Wilms. The movie was filmed this year in South Africa. 

After suffering a near-death experience as a child, Darby Harper is granted the ability to see ghosts. To combat the existential boredom of high school, she runs a side business counseling local spirits in her spare time. When an unexpected occurrence happens between Darby and Capri, the most popular girl at school, Darby reluctantly agrees to help her and in the process learns how to fit in with the living world again.

Character details have not yet been fully revealed; one casting report said that Wayne Knight will play a character named Mel, "a cheerful dead guy who plays poker in the bleachers and has the ultimate goal to get through the pearly white gates." Cravalho will play Capri. Cravalho may have even dropped an early spoiler by revealing the twist that Capri and Darby's "unexpected occurrence seems to be Capri dying! 

"Heard Hulu needed a campy dead cheerleader and here I am!!!" Cravalho wrote on her Instagram, with a photo from the film's set. She also revealed that her character's name is short for Capricorn. 

Darby and the Dead is currently in production.