Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson is set to play Betty Boop in a movie that will trace the origin and evolution of the iconic character through the perspective of her creator, Max Fleischer.
Brunson’s company, Fifth Chance Productions, has partnered with Max's grandson Mark Fleischer and Fleischer Studios on the project, which is currently in development and overseen by Fifth Chance’s head of creative affairs, Erin Wehrenberg.
A caricature of a Jazz Age flapper, Miss Boop first appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She was later featured in numerous theatrical cartoons between 1930 and 1939, and has also been the focus of various comic strips and prolific mass merchandising, as well as two television specials in the 1980s. Boop! The Musical debuted on Broadway earlier this year.
Despite being an animated character, Betty Boop is viewed as one of the very first sex symbols. She was mostly popular with adult audiences, and many of the cartoons contained some sexual and psychological elements, particularly in the 1932 "Talkartoon" Minnie the Moocher (1932), featuring Cab Calloway and his orchestra.
This project will explore "the relationship between the artist and his creation as he navigates the creative and commercial pressures of building one of the world’s first animated icons, particularly as that icon begins to take on a life of its own."
“Betty Boop is one of our nation’s most beloved cartoon characters, yet somehow still remains pleasantly niche,” Brunson wrote in a statement. “She has had a quiet but undeniable impact on culture for nearly a century. After Erin and I met with Mark and learned more about his grandfather’s creation of Betty, I realized there was a much deeper story to tell. One that could be explored in a way that feels refreshing, subversive, and timeless, much like Betty herself.”
Added Mark Fleischer: “When Quinta first approached me with the unique concept of a movie about the relationship of my grandfather, Max Fleischer, and his creation, Betty Boop, I was breathtaken. Quinta so embodies Betty’s love of life, intelligence, humor, sassiness and compassion that the relationship between her as Betty and Max burst into life at its mere mention.”