Legendary Entertainment is developing a live-action adaptation of The Magic School Bus, with Elizabeth Banks attached to star as Ms. Valerie Frizzle and Rob Letterman set to write and direct, according to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter.
Letterman brings relevant franchise experience to the project. He previously directed Goosebumps (2015), another Scholastic adaptation, with Jack Black in the lead. Scholastic Entertainment is once again a producing partner. Banks, who will also produce through her Brownstone Productions banner alongside Max Handelman and Alison Small, is joined by Marc Platt and Adam Siegel of Marc Platt Productions, plus Iole Lucchese, Caitlin Friedman, Mary Parent, Ali Mendes, and Cale Boyter.
The source material spans decades. Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen's original book series, launched in 1986, has sold more than 90 million copies worldwide. Lily Tomlin voiced Ms. Frizzle across 52 episodes of the PBS animated series from 1994 to 1997. Netflix's continuation, The Magic School Bus Rides Again, ran from 2017 to 2021 across three seasons, with Tomlin and Kate McKinnon both taking turns in the role.
The live-action film had a prior life at Universal, which announced development in 2020 with Banks and Platt attached. The rights have since moved to Legendary, which is now pushing the project forward.