The Mattel-ification of cinema is now in full swing. Barbie is a Best Picture nominee, and the toy company has a full slate of (sometimes bizarre) children’s and toy property movies they’re trying to get off the ground. Next up is Bob The Builder, a beloved animated children’s program that will now get the star-studded big-screen treatment, per Variety. This is brought to you by, of all people, Jennifer Lopez, as well as Hamilton’s Anthony Ramos, who is set to star as the titular Bob.
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If you’re imagining Ramos roaming a vivid, toy-like construction site a la Margot Robbie in Barbieland, that is unfortunately not the case. Bob and his team (Scoop, Muck, and Dizzy, and Roley too, etc.) will remain animated. The animation will be getting a boost from ShadowMachine, the studio behind Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. That said, Bob—formerly a white British guy—is getting a bit of a makeover. The synopsis reads: “When Roberto ‘Bob’ travels to the enchanting island of Puerto Rico for a major construction job, he takes on issues affecting the island and digs deeper into what it means to build. Bob’s journey will celebrate the vibrant and colorful textures of the Caribbean Latin nations and their people.”
No director is on board with Bob yet, but Felipe Vargas will pen the Ramos-inspired screenplay. According to Variety, this new Bob The Builder is in part inspired by Anthony Ramos’ life, whatever that entails. “For years, Bob The Builder’s characters have inspired young people around the world,” the In The Heights star said in a statement. “A movie about friends working together, a celebration of a beautiful home they share, and how love can help to conquer any obstacle in your way. Can we fix it? Yes, we can!”
Bob The Builder began its life on the CBBC (a children’s network in the United Kingdom). The series (along with Thomas & Friends) was sold to Mattel in 2011. It’s one of the many projects the toy company has cooking; another kids’ icon, Barney the Dinosaur, is also set to get the big screen treatment, with Hot Wheels and American Girl also in development.