Michael Thorn, Fox’s president of entertainment, said in a statement:
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. 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.
Peter Girardi, WBA’s evp for alternative programming, added:
The Flintstones are the first family of primetime 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).
Fox’s free ad-supported streaming platform Tubi has also acquired the AVOD rights to the six seasons of the original Flintstones series, which will begin streaming on May 1. The show, which was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, was broadcast on ABC from 1960 to 1966, becoming the first animated series to air in primetime tv.
If picked up to series, Bedrock will be co-produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Fox Entertainment. Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman will executive-produce through Brownstone Productions. Brownstone’s Dannah Shinder and writer Lindsay Kerns will serve as co-executive producers.
Various creators have tried to reboot The Flintstones over the last decade. Most famously, a Seth MacFarlane reboot was announced back in 2011, but there have also been numerous other versions developed at Warner Bros. Animation, none of which have been publicly revealed. The fact that this reboot with Fox and Banks has been announced suggests that it is much further along in development than earlier attempts and has a good chance of crossing the finish line.
