Sony-Backed ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Reboot Will Turn The Trio Into Digital-First ‘Influencers’ Before A 2028 Theatrical Feature

Alvin and the Chipmunks is set to make another theatrical comeback in 2028. A new franchise reboot is being led by Big Shot Pictures, a family entertainment company founded by former Paramount co-CEO Brian Robbins, which has acquired a 25% stake in the nearly 70-year-old franchise through a partnership with Bagdasarian Productions.

Rather than leading with a feature film straight out of the gate, a new strategy focuses on digital-first content on platforms like YouTube to grow the brand’s popularity among kids who likely know little or nothing about the franchise beyond a few Christmas songs that pop up each year.

Robbins told The Wall Street Journal that the goal is to position Alvin, Simon, and Theodore more like online influencers, reacting to current events, trends, and pop culture in real time through short videos before a theatrical feature arrives in the second half of 2028, coinciding with the Chipmunks’ 70th anniversary.

Created in 1958 by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., Alvin and the Chipmunks has grown into one of family entertainment’s most enduring brands, producing 38 studio albums, five Grammy Awards, and more than $1 billion at the global box office through its live-action/CG hybrid film series. The most recent television reboot, ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks, ran on Nickelodeon from 2015 to 2023.

The franchise has remained under the control of Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Janice Karman, who have continued to voice the characters and have carefully managed the property following a long-running legal battle that restored their ownership. Big Shot’s theatrical projects are covered under a first-look distribution agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment.