Seth MacFarlane To Reboot "The Flintstones"

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http://www.looper.com/86415/seth-mac...y-wont-happen/

The writing was already on the cave walls, but Seth MacFarlane said his live-action Flintstones reboot is basically history.

MacFarlane recently said in a Reddit AMA (via ScreenRant) that his take on the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon likely won't ever get made. When asked by a fan if the series will move forward, McFarlane said, "As of now, probably not."

But his reason kind of makes a lot of sense: "Honestly, I couldn't figure out a way to find enough differentiation between a modern-day Fred Flintstone and [Family Guy's]*Peter Griffin."

It too 20th Century Fox more than two year to negotiate a deal with rights holder Warner Bros. for MacFarlane's planned reboot, which was expected to arrive back in 2013. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, network insiders who read the script "were not thrilled," and Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly reportedly said "he likes it but doesn't love it."

Meanwhile, MacFarlane found a new creative outlet: his live-action sci-fi series The Orville, which premiered on Fox two weeks ago. Obviously based on Star Trek, the show has a half-serious tone that could likely have been applied to a Flintstones reboot.

But another Hollywood A-lister has a different live-action series based on a Hanna-Barbera cartoon in the works: Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis is developing a live-action reboot of The Jetsons, which landed at ABC.

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[tlc38tlc38]

So glad it's not gonna happen. I can't stand Seth McFarlane.

[gopyle]

I don't mind some of McFarlane's stuff, but the Flintstones and other shows of the past need no rebooting or reimagining by anyone.

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What Happened to Seth MacFarlane’s ‘The Flintstones’ Reboot?

The 'Family Guy' creator’s passion project never materialized.

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This is the story of how a straight-to-series order, a staffed writers' room, and real production art still led nowhere.

The video breaks down why The Flintstones mattered so much in the first place, how the 1960 series changed television, and why rebooting it was never as simple as putting a modern spin on Bedrock. What looked like a dream project became a creative trap.

I go through Fox's 2011 deal with MacFarlane, the Warner Bros. rights agreement, the writers' room, the leased office, and the concept art that proved this reboot was real. Then I get into the collapse, including the script problems, the quiet shutdown, and MacFarlane's later admission that he could not find enough daylight between Fred Flintstone and Peter Griffin.

The video also looks at the 2016 DC Comics Flintstones run by Mark Russell and Steve Pugh, which managed to do something MacFarlane could not: make the property feel fresh by using Bedrock to explore consumerism, PTSD, class, religion, and the cost of building a society.

At the center of all of it is a bigger question about nostalgia, creative voice, and whether The Flintstones can actually be rebooted for a modern audience without losing the simplicity that made it work in the first place.