Friends alum David Schwimmer set to star in Disney’s Goosebumps anthology series for second season… as Ana Ortiz also joins the new cast

David Schwimmer will have the chance to embrace his spooky side after being officially cast in the upcoming second season of the Disney+ anthology series, Goosebumps.

The Friends alum, 57 – who recently starred in a humorous Uber Eats commercial alongside Jennifer Aniston – will also be joined by Ugly Betty star Anna Ortiz, 53, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The hit show – which is based on the beloved Scholastic book series by R. L. Stine – initially aired its first season last year in October 2023.

Along with both Schwimmer and Ortiz, others that have been cast include Sam Mccarthy, Jayden Bartels, Elijah Cooper, Galilea La Salvia and Francesca Noel.  

According to an official premise, the next season will follow, ‘Teenage siblings discover a threat stirring, triggering a chain of events that unravel a profound mystery,’ per the outlet. 

‘As they delve into the unknown, the duo find themselves entangled in the chilling tale of four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994.’ 

David will take on the role of a former botany professor named Anthony who is also the divorced father of two teenagers. 

His ‘world takes a tumultuous turn as he juggles the responsibilities of overseeing an aging parent while having his kids for the summer,’ per Deadline. 

Ana will portray a police detective named Jen ‘who remains rooted in her Brooklyn neighborhood after experiencing a tragic event that involved her friends in adolescence.’ 

The first season of Goosebumps consisted of 10 episodes and aired last year from October 2023 through November and received critical acclaim. 

Currently, the supernatural series has a score of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an audience rating of 70%. 

Justin Long, Miles McKenna, Isa Briones, Zack Morris, Rachael Harris and Ana Yi Puig took on roles at the time. 

Last month in February, it was announced that the show was renewed for a second season for a total of eight episodes, but would go the anthology route with an entirely new premise and cast. 

At the time, the president of Disney Branded Television, Ayo Davis, issued a statement, per Variety. 

‘Audiences everywhere fell in love with the series’ chills, thrills, heart and humor, making it one of Disney Branded Television’s most-watched shows of last year.’ 

‘We can’t wait to dive deeper into the brilliant mind of R.L. Stine, and to collaborate once again with Sony Pictures Television, Scholastic Entertainment, and our fantastic creative team to bring an entirely new mystery to Disney+ for season two.’ 

According to the outlet, the Disney+ series raked in a total of 4.2 million global views in just the first three days of its release on the streaming site, as well as Hulu. 

Schwimmer is known for his role as Ross in the hit show, Friends, which aired from 1994 through 2004. 

He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry – who passed earlier last year in October 2023 at the age of 54. 

Following his time on Friends, David took on other roles, such as voicing the character of Melman in the Madagascar franchise. 

Most recently, he took on a leading role in the comedic-drama titled, Little Death – which also starred Gaby Hoffman, Talia Ryder and also Seth Green. 

The plot is: ‘A middle-aged filmmaker on the verge of a breakthrough. Two kids in search of a lost backpack. A small dog a long way from home,’ per IMDB. 

The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year in January and was the recipient of the NEXT Innovator Award. 

Schwimmer also starred in the British sitcom, Intelligence, with Nick Mohammad – which aired from 2020 through 2023 for a total of two seasons as well as a special. 

The premise followed, ‘An NSA agent teams up with a computer analyst to form a new cyber crimes unit in the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters,’ according to an official IMDB synopsis.