In a move that proves childhood memories have become very lucrative, Ellen DeGeneres has joined forces with Warner Bros. and Netflix to produce a Green Eggs and Ham animated series that will apparently be “very, very cool.”
Don’t get too excited yet — the series won’t be launched on Netflix for another three years. It will be the “most expensive animated program ever produced for television,” Deadline reported; they pegged the cost at up to $6 million.
DeGeneres announced the project on her own show, Ellen .
“It’s going to be cutting-edge animation: It’s never been done on television before. It’s very, very cool.”
There are no plans, as of yet, for DeGeneres to voice a character, which is disappointing.
The classic children’s book was published in 1960 by the famous Dr. Seuss, who will release a new book soon. In it, Sam-I-Am follows another character around, asking him to eat some green eggs and ham.
It wasn’t easy for DeGeneres and company to get the Netflix project off the ground. Ellen and fellow producers were mired in extensive negotiations for quite a while. First, they had to get the blessing of the author’s widow, Audrey Geisel. Producers spent 45 minutes with her at her house and she gave the okay — along with some notes.
Netflix Is Making an Animated Series Based on the Dr. Seuss Classic ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ http://t.co/BzwQowPtPg pic.twitter.com/9PQpBPlkhM
— Laughing Squid (@LaughingSquid) April 30, 2015
Executive Producer Jared Stern, who penned Wreck-It-Ralph , will write The Lego Movie sequel, and is tapped to write the Green Eggs and Ham Netflix series, has tried to bring the book to life before.
The project was originally a film and fell through; Stern turned it into a series, and after lots of negotiations and the entrance of Ellen DeGeneres — who’s nailed animated films before — the 13-episode Netflix series was born.
The adaption will follow the book’s characters on new adventures, specifically of inventor Guy and Sam-I-Am , who will “embark on a cross-country trip that tests the limits of their friendship,” Mashable added. In the spirit of the project, Netflix content VP Cindy Hollland had a little fun in announcing its inception, Variety added.
“We think this will be a hit Green Eggs and Ham is a perfect fit for our growing slate of amazing stories available exclusively in all Netflix territories. You can stream it on a phone. You can stream it on your own. You can stream it on TV. You can stream it globally.”
Ellen’s Netflix project is also an attempt to grab children’s attention — children who already navigate iPads like experts and consume entertainment on more than just a tube TV with dodgy rabbit ears. It’s a new era, for sure, and Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus have already found a toe-hold in the market.
Enter Ellen DeGeneres, Netflix, and Green Eggs and Ham , which does promise to be quite awesome for kids and nostalgic adults alike.
[Photo Courtesy Jason Kempin/Getty Images]
