Catherine Laga’aia and Deacon Phillippe Lead Disney+’s ‘Spaceship Earth’ Pilot

Disney+ has found the two young stars for its Spaceship Earth pilot. Catherine Laga’aia and Deacon Phillippe are set to lead the time-spanning adventure inspired by the famous EPCOT attraction at Walt Disney World, according to separate reports from Deadline and TheWrap.

The project is still a pilot rather than a full series order. That distinction matters: Disney+ is testing the concept and cast before deciding whether the story will continue as a series. Character details for Laga’aia and Phillippe are being kept under wraps.

A disaster story across different eras

The official premise begins when a mission intended to prevent an imminent global catastrophe goes wrong. A small group of teenagers from Earth’s past and future must then work together against a danger described as being as mysterious and expansive as time itself.

Jason Fuchs and Michael Waldron wrote the pilot. Fuchs will serve as showrunner and executive producer through Five Ten Productions, while Waldron is also an executive producer. Lee Toland Krieger is attached to direct and executive produce. The production comes from 20th Television, with Adam Fishbach and Adam Fasullo among the additional executive producers.

Two rising performers at the center

Laga’aia recently took the title role opposite Dwayne Johnson in Disney’s live-action Moana. Her previous credits include Prime Video’s limited series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, and Deadline reports that she will next lead Nick Annas’ thriller Crashout.

Phillippe, meanwhile, is working on Netflix’s Better Than the Movies, an adaptation of Lynn Painter’s young-adult romance. He has also completed his first leading movie role in the independent drama Brother Save Us and is part of the cast of 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank.

The casting gives Spaceship Earth a clearer identity after the project was first announced in August. Its connection to EPCOT supplies a recognizable name, but the premise points beyond a theme-park adaptation toward an original science-fiction ensemble. Disney+ has not yet announced a production timetable or premiere date.