Hollywood is running out of profitable IPs to adapt, and Paramount is one of the large companies that’s currently struggling to keep up with the big boys. Shortly after the release of Transformers One in theaters, we’re getting word that Rugrats might be getting the live-action treatment next… sort of.
Deadline dropped the news, stating that Paramount and Nickelodeon have been developing a Rugrats live-action movie for a while, but there’s a major twist: the babies will be computer-generated. Oh no.
The original animated series, which premiered in 1991 and expanded with a number of movies, focused on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, and their day-to-day lives, which included tons of adventures fueled by the imaginations of the protagonists. Other kids also played major roles, and the parents got their fair share of screentime as well, often trying to protect their babies from getting lost or hurting themselves. It’s the sort of story that could be easily translated into live-action without much trouble (babies going on wild adventures used to be an entire subgenre in the ’90s). Instead, it looks like we’ll be screaming in terror.
The report confirms the theatrical feature will be a live-action/CGI hybrid, which usually means digital characters mixed in with real everything else. Variety later added that CGI babies are indeed the case, which, at the very least, promises tons of internet laughs and memes once that first trailer hits. I just can’t see this working out, as stuff like the hybrid Garfield and Smurfs movies were already pushing the limits of their premises. The Pokémon looked alright in that Detective Pikachu movie, but, you know, they were fantastical creatures.
Anyhow, Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect, Sisters) is directing, with Saturday Night Live actor Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidell penning the script, which reportedly is almost ready to go. Karen Rosenfelt is producing, along with Rugrats co-creators Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó. Chances are casting news will be coming our way sooner rather than later, as the project has been in development under our radars for quite a while, it seems.
