Legendary Entertainment announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the rights to make a live-action film based on the classic animated franchise "The Magic School Bus." The rights were previously held by Universal, which had controlled an option to develop the project since June 2020.
According to U.S. reports, Rob Letterman has been chosen to direct and write the screenplay. Letterman previously directed "Pokémon Detective Pikachu." Elizabeth Banks will play the teacher, Ms. Frizzle, and will also serve as a producer on the project.
"The Magic School Bus" originates from the children's book series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. It follows a teacher and her students on field trips aboard a bus that transforms to explore different environments, including the human body and outer space.
The franchise already has a television history, including a 1990s animated series that aired in more than 100 countries, among them Israel, and a follow-up series that launched on Netflix in 2017. For Legendary, the project adds to a growing slate of adaptations of existing properties, after films such as "Dune" and "Godzilla vs. Kong," with "Minecraft" also in development. No plot details or production start date have been announced.
