This is a little out of left field, but for some reason I’m not completely surprised.
Seth MacFarlane finally gets to work on a project he’s been passionate about for awhile– THE FLINTSTONES. The battle for the rights to do this with MacFarlane at the helm have been going on for some time now.
The negotiations between 20th Century Fox TV, where McFarlane is based, and Warner Bros Television have been quite complicated. The WB obtained the rights to THE FLINTSTONES after they absorbed famed producer Hanna-Barbera. Warner Bros. has been a bit skeptical about MacFarlane taking over both the television and film properties. This all due to the fact that they don’t want the original prehistoric family to come back raunchy.
But MacFarlane prevailed and is getting his chance to give the series a reboot. Deadline indicates that a series would be first, then possibly a film if all goes as planned. It’s obvious the structure for FAMILY GUY is one that can be traced all the way back to THE FLINTSTONES (or THE HONEYMOONERS, whatever). Of course you can also lump THE SIMPSONS and several other animated sitcoms in there. With MacFarlane taking over, you can bet that there will be a little slip of raunchiness here and there.