Everyone’s favorite adventurous toddlers are getting the big-screen treatment unlike any film or show in the franchise before, with sources revealing that Rugrats, the classic Nickelodeon animated series from the 1990s, is getting a live-action/CGI feature adaptation with Jason Moore on board to direct. Saturday Night Live star Mikey Day co-wrote the script with head writer Streeter Seidell. The film is being produced by Paramount Pictures.
Tommy Pickles and his pals Chuckie Finster and Phil and Lil DeVille will be animated in the movie, which is set in the real world à la Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s unclear who from the original series — the foursome is orbited by bully Angelica Pickles (and her doll Cynthia, who’s a really cool dancer), Tommy’s baby brother Dil Pickles, dog Spike, as well as their parents Didi and Stu Pickles, Chas Finster, Drew and Charlotte Pickles and Betty and Howard DeVille — will appear in the upcoming film.
Created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain, the Nickelodeon series premiered in 1991 as one of Nickelodeon's first Nicktoons and became one of the network’s most popular series. It follows a group of toddlers — Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, and Angelica — and their day-to-day lives, usually involving life experiences that become much greater adventures.
The show would get rebooted in 1996 following three seasons and would go on to last through the 2000s. Its popularity led to several spin-offs, including All Grown Up!, as well as three animated movies - The Rugrats Movie (1998), Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) and Rugrats Go Wild (2003), which drew just a shade under $300 million worldwide combined - and a number of accolades, and has gained new life as a new generation discovers old episodes on streaming. The series was rebooted in CGI in 2021. Christine Cavanaugh, E.G. Daily, Cheryl Chase, Tara Strong, Kath Soucie, Dionne Quan, Cree Summer, Jack Riley, Melanie Chartoff, David Doyle, and Nancy Cartwright starred in the series, among others.
Karen Rosenfelt is producing the feature film, as are Klasky and Csupó.
This is the second time a CGI/live-action Rugrats feature has been talked about. A live-action/CGI Rugrats movie was first announced in July 2018. The pic was set to be released by Paramount Players in January 2021, however, the film was eventually pulled from Paramount Pictures' release schedule. David Goodman had be tapped to write, with David Bowers set as the director.
Moore, the Tony-nominated director and producer of film, television and theater, seems like the ideal fit to bring these characters to life. His feature directorial debut, Pitch Perfect starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow, was a critical and commercial success; he served as executive producer on both of the sequels. Moore also directed 2015’s Universal movie Sisters, starring Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph and written by Paula Pell.
Most recently, Moore directed Shotgun Wedding, starring Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel, for Prime Video. Upcoming, he will direct two book adaptations: Guncle, based on the bestseller by Steven Rowley, and Emma Straub’s novel This Time Tomorrow.
Moore is also the creative force behind some of Broadway’s biggest hits including Avenue Q, for which he received a Tony Award nomination; Shrek the Musical; The Cher Show; Steel Magnolias; and Fully Committed. He also directed Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall and the Off Broadway hits Speech and Debate, Avenue Q, Guardians, The Crumple Zone, Superhero and Tales of the City.
This is not the first planned reboot of an animated series to involve Day and Seidell. In 2019, it was reported that the pair were working on a live-action Inspector Gadget movie for Disney. They were also enlisted to work on a Space Camp remake for Disney+.
NickALive! first reported that Day was working on a Rugrats movie in January last year.
A release date for the new Rugrats movie is still to be announced.
Moore is repped by WME and LBI Entertainment. Day is repped by CAA, Michael Goldman and Rick Genow. Streeter is repped by WME and Artists First.
The news was first reported by Deadline.
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Originally published: October 03, 2024.
