‘Flintstones’ Sequel Series in the Works at Fox From Warner Bros. Animation, Elizabeth Banks to Voice Pebbles

Joe Otterson
·3 min read
2
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

“The Flintstones” sequel series from Warner Bros. Animation is officially in development at Fox with Elizabeth Banks attached to star and executive produce.

The animated series, titled “Bedrock,” is set 20 years after the events of the original series. Banks will voice an adult Pebbles Flintstone in addition to executive producing. Variety exclusively reported that Banks and WB Animation were developing a new iteration of the classic series back in 2019.

More from Variety

In the show, Fred Flintstone is on the brink of retirement and 20-something Pebbles is embarking on her own career. As the Stone Age gives way to a shiny and enlightened new Bronze Age, the residents of Bedrock will find this evolution harder than a swing from Bamm-Bamm’s club.

The project will be written and co-executive produced by Lindsay Kerns, whose past credits include “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous,” “DC Super Hero Girls,” and “Trolls: The Beat Goes On!” Banks and Max Handelman will executive produce via Brownstone Productions, with the company’s Dannah Shinder co-executive producing. Warner Bros. Animation and Fox Entertainment will produce. Brownstone is currently under a TV overall deal at Warner Bros.

“Long before the Simpsons and Springfield, the Griffins and Quahog or even when the Belchers started serving burgers on Ocean Avenue, there were the Flintstones and Bedrock,” said Michael Thorn, president of entertainment for Fox Entertainment. “Their imprint on the animation universe is undeniable and the idea of adapting it for today’s audience is a challenge we here at Fox are very much looking forward to taking on with Warner Bros., Elizabeth and Lindsay. No pressure whatsoever, really.”

In addition, Fox Entertainment’s free streaming platform Tubi has acquired the AVOD rights to all six seasons of “The Flintstones,” which will begin streaming on Tubi on May 1.

“The Flintstones are the first family of primetime animation,” said Peter Girardi, executive vice president of alternative programming at Warner Bros. Animation. “Elizabeth and Lindsay have a brilliant take on these characters, and Fox and Brownstone are the perfect partners to bring them back to primetime. This is going to rock (sorry).”

“The Flintstones” originally ran for six seasons and 166 episodes on ABC between 1960 and 1966. It was television’s first primetime animated series and also the first animated program to win the Emmy Award for best comedy series.

There have been multiple attempts at new versions of the show over the years, including short-lived series like “The New Fred and Barney Show” and “The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show.” There have also been several “Flintstones” TV specials as well as two live-action films. Seth MacFarlane also developed a reboot of the series for Fox back in 2011, but that project ultimately did not go forward.

“Bedrock” is the latest attempt by Warner Bros. Animation to put a fresh spin on one of their existing properties. Other recent examples include a “Scooby Doo” spinoff about Velma for HBO Max starring and executive produced by Mindy Kaling. The studio also produces the critically-acclaimed HBO Max series “Harley Quinn,” in which Kaley Cuoco voices the DC Comics character as she strikes out on her own to become a supervillain.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.