Fox developing Elizabeth Banks-led sequel series to The Flintstones

Fox is planning to get The Flintstones rolling once again.

The network announced on Tuesday that it was developing a reboot of the beloved 1960s animated sitcom about a contemporary family living in prehistoric times. Elizabeth Banks is set to executive-produce the show, and she'll lend her voice in another key way, too.

Titled Bedrock, the prospective show would pick up 20 years later, with Fred about to retire and his now-twentysomething daughter, Pebbles (voiced by Banks), about to begin her career. "As the Stone Age gives way to a shiny and enlightened new Bronze Age, the residents of Bedrock will find this evolution harder than a swing from Bamm-Bamm's club," reads the logline.

The original Flintstones, a.k.a. the "modern Stone Age family," launched in 1960 on ABC as network TV's first prime time animated series and earned a Best Comedy Emmy nomination in 1961. Airing for six seasons, the series focused on the exploits of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, their daughter, Pebbles, their pet, Dino, and their neighbors Barney and Betty Rubble, along with son Bamm-Bamm.

"Long before the Simpsons and Springfield, the Griffins and Quahog or even when the Belchers started serving burgers on Ocean Avenue, there were the Flintstones and Bedrock," said Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn in a statement. "Their imprint on the animation universe is undeniable and the idea of adapting it for today's audience is a challenge we here at Fox are very much looking forward to taking on with Warner Bros., Elizabeth, and Lindsay. No pressure whatsoever, really."

Lindsay Kerns (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous) will pen the pilot script and serve as an exec producer as well.

There have been several Flintstones spinoffs over the years, and the gang even hit the big screen in live-action form in 1994's The Flintstones and 2000's The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas. Fox has tried to revive The Flintstones previously, tapping Family Guy overlord Seth MacFarlane with the challenge in 2011, though it never saw the light of day. Banks began developing this iteration back in 2019 with Warner Bros. Animation.

Fox, of course, has plenty of experience in prime-time animation, as its Sunday lineup boasts such long-running comedies as The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob's Burgers.

Related content:

• DC's Catwoman and The Flintstones political comics borrow stories from the election
• The most popular animated series, by state