It would be so very easy to kick off this news story about DreamWorks Animation bringing time-travelling pooch Mr Peabody and pet human Sherman to the screen with their classic catchphrase, “Set the wayback machine!”
But we’d be risking plenty of scratched heads and puzzled looks from people who don’t know the characters. Following the world’s brainiest mutt and the kid who assisted him on missions, the duo would jaunt through time, running into historical figures and solving problems. Their adventures ran as a segment of the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon show –but they’re not quite the cultural touchstone in the UK compared to their status in America. We’re more likely to have seen the Simpsons reference (in Treehouse Of Horror V’s Time And Punishment entry, if you were wondering) than the actual show itself. Still, they’re well-known enough around the world for Lion King director Rob Minkoff to give them the digital ‘toon movie treatment.
"Mr Peabody & Sherman has the kind of cross-generational appeal that is a cornerstone of DreamWorks Animation," DWA’s Bill Damaschke told The Hollywood Reporter. "Older fans remember and still delight at their adventures, while new generations of fans are discovering them on the Cartoon Network."
A Peabody film had already been in development at Universal, where Kenneth Lonergan had penned a script. Minkoff will write his own version and use the vast resources of DreamWorks Animation to bring it to life. There’s no word on casting yet, but given the quirkiness of the original voices, we dearly hope this won’t be another celeb-aganza.