Elizabeth Banks will take on the role of quirky, fearless adventuring schoolteacher Ms. Fizzle in the live-action film adaptation of children’s series Charlie’s Angels.
The Magic School Bus follows teacher Ms. Valerie Frizzle and her class on different field trips on a bus that can transform into a plane, submarine, spaceship, or surfboard. Ms. Frizzle's adventures began as children’s books written by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. The series was adapted for television by PBS as an animated series airing from 1994 to 1997 with comedic legend Lilly Tomlin as the voice of Ms. Frizzle taking the kids on fantastic adventures while teaching them about science. In 2017 Netflix released a series entitled The Magic School Bus Rides Again with Kate McKinnon as the voice of the new Ms. Fiona Frizzle, sister to now Professor Valerie Frizzle. Lin-Manuel Miranda provided the title song.
According to and Universal Pictures. Elizabeth Banks will not only star as the beloved central character, but she’ll also produce The Magic School Bus along with Max Handelman for Brownstone. Alison Small of Brownstone will serve as executive producer. Ryan Christians from Marc Platt Productions will oversee production with Sara Scott and Lexi Barta from Universal Pictures.
Marc Platt (The Magic School Bus in a statement praising both Banks and fellow producers. No other cast announcements have been made at this time.
A hybrid live-action/animation The Magic School Bus movie has enormous potential to be a family-friendly blockbuster. The key will be finding the right tone and casting Banks already indicates the producers are aware they need to appeal to parents as much as kids. The filmmakers could choose to animate the live-action characters once they board the bus, balancing real-world situations in the live-action scenes with wild, silly, and limitless adventures in animated sequences.
Banks could be a surprisingly perfect fit for the role of Ms. Frizzle. Her portrayal of Effie in The Hunger Games gave viewers a chance to see her take on a quirky, unusual character and endear them to the audience even when it would seem they are a villain. Her natural aptitude for comedic and lively roles could also bring Ms. Frizzle to life in the way most nostalgic viewers of The Magic School Bus imagined her and new viewers of any age can appreciate.
Source: The Wrap
