It appears that Warner Bros. want to revive “The Jetsons” for today’s generation. That, in itself, isn’t very surprising, given Hollywood’s endless obsession with franchises and its attempt to make them new again. What’s surprising is the creative team that WB has assembled to make what will ultimately be a live-action film based on the classic Hanna-Barbera animated property.
According to The Wrap, “Jurassic World” director Colin Trevorrow plans to direct and co-write the “Jetsons” movie, with Jim Carrey – yes, Ace Ventura himself – set to star. Although it’s not explicitly said who Carrey would play, George Jetson, the patriarch of the Jetson family, seems to be the obvious choice. Trevorrow is also set to write the script alongside Joe Eptstein, who was the showrunner behind HBO’s disastrous “The Idol.”
The report warns that no agreement has been formally reached and that development is in its early stages. Hollywood has, however, been trying to bring this property back to life for some time. In 2012, rapper Kanye West announced that he would become the creative director of a “Jetsons” film. Yes, really. Nothing ever happened, but it was a thing that happened. ABC also ordered a pilot for a live-action “Jetsons” TV series in 2017, which never came to fruition.
Plot details remain under wraps at this time. As such, it’s unclear who would take on the roles of George’s wife Jane, the couple’s children Elroy and Judy, their robot servant Rosey, and the rest of the gang. We’re assuming, of course, that a CGI Astro the Space Mutt is on deck.
Can Colin Trevorrow and Jim Carrey strike box office gold with The Jetsons?
While it may seem strange at first glance, it’s understandable why Trevorrow and Carrey would be an attractive duo for Warner Bros. Trevorrow directed “Jurassic World,” one of the highest-grossing films of all time. He also helmed 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion,” which, despite poor reviews, still crossed the $1 billion mark. The man proved he knows how to resurrect a franchise from the dead. His other credits include the acclaimed “Safety Not Guaranteed” and the maligned flop “The Book of Henry.”
As for Carrey, he’s a superstar whose films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide. While he was at one point threatening retirement, he significantly reignited his star power through his involvement in the billion-dollar “Sonic the Hedgehog” franchise. Carrey has played the villainous Dr. Robotnik in all three films so far, with “Sonic 4” currently in development.
While some viewers might question Trevorrow’s prowess in light of some of his misfires, Warner Bros. is primarily concerned with a director’s ability to attract an audience. Trevorrow had done it, which is why he was also the original choice to direct “Star Wars: Episode IX.” Pairing him with a guy like Carrey, with this hardware, makes sense on paper.
The original “Jetsons” cartoon series originally aired for three seasons on ABC, spanning 75 episodes between 1962 and 1963. Since then, its characters have remained a part of the culture through video games, comic books and films, with “Jetsons: The Movie” arriving in 1990. But can Trevorrow and Carrey make modern audiences care about this property? This is the very expensive question facing Warner Bros. seeks to answer.
“The Jetsons” doesn’t have a release date yet, but stay tuned.
