Paramount Pictures has brought on screenwriterTom Wheeler(Puss in Boots) to write the screenplays for two of their upcoming projects, an adaptation of the hit animated TV seriesDora the ExplorerandMicronauts, based on the Hasbro toy line. The report fromDeadlinedoesn’t specify which of these projects the writer will tackle first, but both of theselive-actionprojects have been in the works for quite some time. Neither project has a director attached.
The original Dora the Explorer animatedTV serieslaunched in 2000, running for eight seasons spanning 170 episodes before going off the air earlier this year. The educational series followed the title character, voiced by Kathleen Herles, who went on a number of interactive adventures with her monkey friend named Boots. Earlier this year, Nickelodeon launched a spinoff series entitledDora and Friends: Into the City.
No plot details were given for this live action take on the hit animated show, but the report reveals Paramount is eyeing this project as the start of a new franchise. Mary Parent has signed on to produce the adaptation. Her work spans numerous different genres, such as gripping dramas likeThe Revenant, animated movies such asThe Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Waterand big-budget tentpoles likePacific RimandNoah. No production schedule was given, and it isn’t known if Paramount has a release date set at this time.
Micronautshas been in development for several years, withRhett ReeseandPaul Wernick(Deadpool) coming aboard to write the script back in 2011.J.J. Abramswill produce through his Bad Robot production company.Micronautswere known as MicroMen when they were first launched by the Japanese toy company Takara in 1974. TheMicronautsalso appeared in aMarvelcomic book series in 1979. DirectorJames Gunnrevealed last year that he wanted to use theMicronautsin hissuperhero movieblockbusterGuardians of the Galaxy, but he wasn’t allowed to since Hasbro still owns the rights to the characters.
Tom Wheelerwrote the screenplays for Dream Works Animation’sPuss in Bootsand the upcomingB.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, and he also created the short-lived NBC seriesThe Cape. Are you looking forward toDora the ExplorerandMicronautscoming to the big screen in the near future? Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for updates on both projects.
