‘The Jetsons’ Movie Nabs ‘Sausage Party’ Director (Exclusive)

The future of The Jetsons just got a little meatier.

Conrad Vernon, who co-directed the Seth Rogen animated movie Sausage Party, has come aboard to develop with an eye to helm The Jetsons, Warner Animation Group’s big-screen take on the classic Hanna-Barbera television series.

Warner Bros. has long sought to adapt the show for the silver screen and since the late 1990s has focused on a live-action version, propelled by the success of the live-action take on another classic Hanna-Barbera title, The Flintstones.

The new development firmly keeps the property on the animation track.

While it didn’t last as long on the air as Flintstones, the show tapped into the Space Age wonder of the early 1960s and made a deep impression on pop culture as a Saturday morning cartoon staple and in syndication for decades.

The show focused on the misadventures of a family named the Jetsons, led by father George. Also in the pack were housewife Jane, teenager Judy, and tyke Elroy. Also in the orbit were Rosie, the household robot, and Astro, the family dog.

Paramount tried to mount a live-action version, as did Universal. Warners has had the rights since at least the late 1990s and has developed versions that attracted helmers such as Adam Shankman and Robert Rodriguez (the latter had a script by The Goldbergs creator Adam F. Goldberg).

Vernon is a DreamWorks Animation vet who co-directed Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. (Fun fact: He voiced the Gingerbread Man in the Shrek movies.)

Vernon also co-helmed 2016’s Sausage Party with Greg Tiernan. The raunchy movie received strong reviews and grossed almost $100 million domestically on a budget of only $19 million. 

Vernon is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Todd Stern.

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