Producer Denise Di Novi recently provided an update for the big screen adaptation of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon “The Jetson’s.” Rest assure, the adaptation is still coming, and a new draft has been turned in to the studio. Meanwhile, Robert Rodriguez who was originally attached to direct, may no longer be directing.
Here’s what Di Novi had to say:
I’ve been developing that for so many years. We actually just turned a new draft in of that script last week to the studio, so I’m still trying to make it. I still think it would be a hit movie. (Robert Rodriguez) was attached to it and his version was fantastic, but honestly, it wasn’t a mainstream studio version. It was kind of his version of what he would shoot at his studio in Texas. He’s got a great set-up down there, and I think part of it is that ‘it may be fun to play with all those big toys at the studio’ but he has a pretty good system going.
It seems as if Rodriquez and the studio are not seeing eye to eye, and it honestly, it wouldn’t surprised me if they want to water the Jetsons into something like “The Smurfs” or “Yogi Bear.” However, Di Novi does add that the studios is interested in making a cool movie rather than a “cornball cartoon movie”:
Part of it is that every couple of years, the genre kind of changes. I really credit Jeff Robinov at Warner Bros. with this. In choosing Chris Nolan to do Batman, he really exploded the expectations on adapting all these kinds of titles, the pressure is on to really make them the coolest movies, not the cornball cartoon movies. Every couple years it’s changed what they thought the movie should be and I’m hoping now we’re hitting it at the right time. I’ve never given up on that movie.
Does this mean the Jetsons might actually be dark or more serious? Perhaps maybe even a new tentpole film? I guess only time will tell. But so far it does sound promising even without Rodriquez. “The Jetsons” movie will happen sooner or later, we can only hope that by “cool” they doesn’t mean something like Tim Allen’s “Galaxy Quest.”