Directors Anthony and Joe Russo — best known for their Marvel films, including the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday — have officially been tapped to produce a remake of the 1993 Warner Bros. adventure Free Willy. The news matters because it marks the acclaimed filmmaking duo attaching their name to reviving a beloved 1990s family classic, more than three decades after the original's release.

The original Free Willy follows a boy who risks everything to save a killer whale destined to be killed by aquarium owners. Mary-Margaret Kunze and Jade Halley Bartlett are writing the script for the reimagining, though further details are being kept under wraps for now. The Russos will produce through their banner AGBO, which is currently involved in numerous projects including the TV series From and Citadel and the Prime Video epic The Bluff, ahead of Avengers: Doomsday's cinema release on 18 December.