“Boop-oop-a-doop!” Start practicing your wolf whistles, folks, because Abbott Elementary sensation Quinta Brunson is developing a movie starring the giddy and endearing animated icon, Betty Boop! The Emmy-winning creator, Brunson, and her company, Fifth Chance Productions, has partnered with Mark Fleischer, grandson of Betty Boop creator Max Fleischer, and Fleischer Studios on the project.
What’s Brunson’s idea for her Betty Boop movie?
According to Variety’s exclusive report, “film will trace the origin and evolution of Betty Boop through the perspective of her creator, Max Fleischer, examining the relationship between the artist and his creation as he navigates the creative and commercial pressures of building one of the world’s first animated icons, particularly as that icon begins to take on a life of its own.”
While the adorable flapper makes a brief appearance in 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit before Jessica Rabbit’s show-stopping performance of “Why Don’t You Do Right” at the Ink and Paint Club, she hasn’t starred in a feature since the 1930s with Fleischer Studios’ groundbreaking “Talkartoons” series.
Brunson and Fleischer on bringing Boop back
“Betty Boop is one of our nation’s most beloved cartoon characters, yet somehow still remains pleasantly niche,” Brunson wrote in a statement. “She has had a quiet but undeniable impact on culture for nearly a century. After Erin and I met with Mark and learned more about his grandfather’s creation of Betty, I realized there was a much deeper story to tell. One that could be explored in a way that feels refreshing, subversive, and timeless, much like Betty herself.”
Mark Fleischer also commented on Brunson’s Betty Boop project, saying, “When Quinta first approached me with the unique concept of a movie about the relationship of my grandfather, Max Fleischer, and his creation, Betty Boop, I was breathtaken. Quinta so embodies Betty’s love of life, intelligence, humor, sassiness and compassion that the relationship between her as Betty and Max burst into life at its mere mention.”
Like Marilyn Monroe and Barbie, Betty Boop is a national treasure and gift to pop culture. If Brunson’s got big ideas about how to bring the charming character back into the fold, I’m all for it. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies in years, and I’d love for lightning to strike twice with Boop. Let’s go!
