Of all the unlikely old school animation projects to suddenly be making a massive comeback, it looks like ‘The Jetsons’ is making a full scale assault on all fronts. In May, it was announced that ‘Sausage Party’ director Conrad Vernon had signed on to direct a theatrical animated movie based on the classic ’60s space age ‘toon. Then in June, we learned that Robert Zemekis (‘Back To The Future’ I, II & III, ‘Forrest Gump’) was developing a live action sitcom version. And DC Comics just announced that a modernized take on the series was being added to their line of radically updated Hanna-Barbera comics, which already includes ‘The Flintstones’ and a ‘Walking Dead’-esque take on ‘Scooby-Doo’. (See the art above by Amanda Conner.)
No news about the movie, but a put-pilot order has been placed for Zemeckis’ sitcom by ABC. ‘The Jetsons’ will be a traditional multi-camera sitcom, with Zemeckis executive producing and Gary Janetti penning the script for the pilot. Janetti previously worked on ‘The Family Guy’ so that should give you a clue as to the tone of this new iteration.
‘The Jetsons’ first aired on ABC from 1962-63 and was created as a companion for the long-running classic ‘The Flintstones’, both of which (like ‘The Family Guy’) aired in prime time and were aimed at both adults and children. Though it only lasted one season, those episodes ran in reruns regularly over the years until a newer version was produced for syndication from 1985-87 and a theatrical animated movie was released in 1990 but was a huge bomb. (Their dog Astro also starred in a short-lived series of shorts called ‘Astro and the Space Mutts’ which aired for one season as part of the NBC anthology cartoon ‘Space Stars’.)
The show centered around the basic nuclear family; breadwinner George, his free-spending housewife Jane, teeny bopper teenage daughter Judy and prodigy son Elroy, as well as their semi-anthopomorphic dog Astro and robot maid Rosie. Also part of the cast was George’s cantankerous, diminutive boss Mr. Spacely, owner of Spacely Sprockets.
Here is ABC’s logline for the sitcom:
“Based on the classic cartoon, this multi-camera sitcom set 100 years in the future looks at America’s favorite future family through a modern filter.”
There is no time frame given for when the show might air, but it surely won’t be until next fall at the earliest.
How do you think a modern take on this post-modern family will work? Does it sound intriguing to you?
Source: TV Line
