Netflix's Flintstones Surge Paves Way for Ryan Gosling's Reboot

A critically panned live-action adaptation of a beloved franchise has drawn streaming viewers. While the film was poorly received by fans and critics alike, it generated millions at the box office and sparked a prequel movie released a few years later. More than 30 years on, it has found a new audience.

Disney isn't the only media company producing live-action adaptations of its beloved stories. Other studios have done so in the past, turning popular cartoons and comics into live-action movies. One example is Scooby-Doo, which entered theaters in 2002 and boasted a then-unknown James Gunn as a screenwriter. The same can be said for most superhero movies before the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DCU were established.

Recently, the 1994 live-action adaptation of The Flintstones found some success on streaming, landing at #3 on Netflix's Top 10 Kids Movies in the United States, between Shark Tale and Flushed Away. Directed by Brian Levant, The Flintstones follows Fred Flintstone (John Goodman), who lands a new job as an executive at Slate & Co, but only got the job because his friend Barney Rubble (Rick Moranis) swapped their tests because Fred loaned him money to help adopt their child, Bam-Bam. Little does Fred know that his new role was just a ploy so Slate & Co.'s vice-president, Cliff Vandercave (Kyle MacLachlan), could swindle the company's fortune and pin the blame on someone else. Since its release, The Flintstones has received a low 23% critics score and a 25% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes; despite its $341.6 million box office gross, its performance led to the creation of a standalone prequel film, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas.

'The Flintstones' Almost Had A Sequel

Just like the Star Wars movies, The Flintstones almost had a sequel, released years after its prequel. Bedrock was supposed to be an upcoming sequel series that would have starred The Acolyte's Manny Jacinto and The Hunger Games' Elizabeth Banks, playing Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles respectively. According to the show's synopsis, Bedrock would take place in the Bronze Age, when the Flintstones and Rubbles face retirement, and their kids have entered adulthood. This prequel series would steer away from live-action, return to its animated roots, and air on Fox. The project was first announced back in 2019, but it was not until 2024 that it was reported that it was no longer in the works but was "open to redevelopment" in the future. However, now a new Flintstones reboot is reportedly in the works, with Ryan Gosling reportedly set to play an adult version of Bamm-Bamm.