A live-action movie based mostly on the cult British children’ cartoon Mr Benn is to enter manufacturing with I Swear director Kirk Jones at the helm.
Mr Benn first appeared on TV on the BBC in 1971, in a series created by David McKee, who died in 2022. The series adopted the adventures of “a very ordinary man who could do extraordinary things” when he visited a magical fancy gown store, which acted as a portal to totally different worlds. Only 13 episodes have been made earlier than the series ended in March 1972, although a one-off episode was broadcast in 2005 on the children’ channel Nick Jr.
Jones, who beforehand directed Nanny McPhee and Waking Ned, mentioned: “I adored Mr Benn as a child and immediately saw the importance of introducing him to a new generation … Mr Benn finds a unique way to travel through time and space, visiting historical and futuristic worlds to solve apparently monumental problems, with kindness, compassion and common sense … If all goes to plan, Mr Benn might even save the world.”
In 2017 McKee told the Guardian: “I wanted to write a story about Mr Everybody. Everyone is trapped in a situation … we all have that routine and the adventures were an escape from routine.” Several makes an attempt to make a movie have been mounted over the years, together with one with John Hannah as Mr Benn and Ben Kingsley as the shopkeeper, however none bought off the floor.
Casting for the movie is predicted to get below method later this 12 months, with taking pictures to start in 2027.
