Meet George Jetson — Jim Carrey. The comedic icon, coming off his latest turn as Dr. Robotnik in the blockbuster Sonic the Hedgehog 3, is currently in talks to star in the first-ever live-action film adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera animated sitcom classic, The Jetsons, at Warner Bros. Pictures. The film is already circling a director, too, with Jurassic World: Dominion helmer Colin Trevorrow also in discussions to take the reins and pen the screenplay with Joe Epstein. No information about the story they have in mind is available at this time.
Premiering in 1962, The Jetsons was a cartoonish look at a futuristic nuclear family living in the 21st century, including the patriarch George, his boy Elroy, daughter Judy, and Jane, his wife. The space age counterpart to The Flintstones, it imagined a world of flying cars, advanced machinery, and three-day work weeks, where most tasks are now solvable with just the push of a button or help from a friendly robot. Each episode followed the family, and their dog Astro, as they worked and lived in a fast-paced, futuristic society, and showed the comedic happenings surrounding their whimsical contraptions and how they navigate life when most tasks are now automated. Despite initially only running for one 24-episode season, the show’s popularity would see it revived for more runs in the 1980s, keeping it a staple of pop culture into the present.
Adapting George and his family to live-action isn’t a new idea by any means. While the last time The Jetsons made it to theaters was in 1990 with an animated film, there have been numerous attempts to realize Orbit City for real, starting in 1985 with an attempt from Paramount Pictures executive-produced by Gary Nardino. ABC had plans for a live-action sitcom version as recently as 2017, with Family Guy writer Gary Janetti attached to a pilot that ultimately never came to be. It’s been a while since The Jetsons have had any feature-length adventure, despite attempts from Hairspray helmer Adam Shankman in 2003 and Spy Kids mastermind Robert Rodriguez with CGI in 2007.
Jim Carrey Takes on Another Iconic Animated Property With ‘The Jetsons’
Though he’s been a bit less active on the big screen in recent years, Carrey is a fitting choice to take on The Jetsons. Aside from his praiseworthy efforts adapting one of gaming’s most iconic villains in the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy, he’s also memorably played The Grinch in the live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss‘s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He also has his very animated performance in the comic book film The Mask, along with a treasure trove of beloved comedic and dramatic performances from Ace Ventura to The Truman Show.
Trevorrow, meanwhile, hasn’t been on the big screen since Dominion, which made just over $1 billion worldwide at the box office despite being largely panned by critics and audiences. This year, however, he enjoyed a bit of success as a writer and producer aboard the Prime Video film Deep Cover, reuniting him with Bryce Dallas Howard for a caper about three improv comedians going undercover in London’s criminal underworld. Also known for directing The Book of Henry and Safety Not Guaranteed, he’ll get a high-profile chance to return to theaters with The Jetsons. It’s just one of two big feature efforts he has on the docket, though, alongside his previously announced Area 51 conspiracy thriller with Ryan Reynolds‘s Maximum Effort banner producing.
via Collider