The Flintstonesare making their way back to television. This week,Varietyannounced a newFlintstonesanimated series had been greenlit. Warner Bros. Animation andElizabeth Banks’ Brownstone Productions are joining forces on this project, bringing it out of the Stone Age and into the 21st century. Currently, thisFlintstonesseries hasn’t found a home at any television network.
This new adaptation ofThe Flintstonesis described in Variety’s reports as “a primetime animated adult comedy series based on an original idea featuring characters fromThe Flintstones.” Now, it’s unclear just how “adult” things will get on the show (will it have some winking references to adult material? Or will it go fullRick & Morty? Your guess is as good as mine). Luckily, a recent runofFlintstonescomicsfromMark RussellandSteve Pughhave infused the Flintstones, the Rubbles, and the town of Bedrock with some postmodern angst and sharp political commentary which could certainly make its way into this similarly modern animated series.
The Flintstonespremiered back in 1960 on ABC. The series ran for six seasons, ending its run in 1966 with more than 150 episodes to its name. The series followed the various adventures of the Flintstone family (Fred, his wife Wilma, and their daughter, Pebbles) and the Rubbles (Barney, his wife Betty, and their son Bam-Bam) in the Stone Age town of Bedrock. Almost 30 years after that, a live-actionFlintstonesfilm hit theaters in 1994 starringJohn Goodmanas Fred,Elizabeth Perkinsas Wilma,Rick Moranisas Barney, andRosie O’Donnellas Betty. A live-action prequel,The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegashit theaters in 2000 starringMark AddyandStephen Baldwinas Fred and Barney, who set out on a trip to Rock Vegas and end up meeting their future wives, Wilma (Kristen Johnson) and Betty (Jane Krakowski). Yeah, we don’t really need to talk about that last one too much.
Numerous modern adaptations ofThe Flintstoneshave tried to make their way to television in recent years. The most notable of these attempted adaptations wasSeth McFarlane’s 2011 try which failed to materialize. It looks like Banks' production company and Warner Bros. Animation have found a way to bring this beloved franchise to life once again.
