"Dora The Explorer" is getting a live-action treatment on the big screen. "Transformers" producer Michael Bay is attached to the project but will viewers expect an explosive flick or will it be a child-friendly movie?
Nick Stoller ("The Muppets") will be writing the screenplay for the "Dora the Explorer" live-action movie for Paramount’s new division, Paramount Players, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The studio has been planning the film development for years initially with scribe Tom Wheeler ("Puss in Boots") and producer Mary Parent. The project, however, did not progress.
Michael Bay directing?
The "Dora the Explorer" live-action will center on a teenage explorer and not the 7-year-old girl in the original children's show from Viacom, which is also under the Paramount umbrella. Dora will move to the city where her cousin Diego lives.
It's unclear if this explorer will also have Boots, her pet monkey, or if the story will take on a fantasy-action theme. The plot to the film has not been divulged.
Paramount plans a 2019 theater release for "Dora the Explorer, ” but an exact date has not yet been determined. No word yet on who will play Dora or Diego, or if Michael Bay will direct the movie aside from serving as producer.
Michael Bay's work as a director is distinctive.
He is best known for his extensive special effects, explosions and fast cuts as seen in "Transformers."
Who is Dora?
"Dora the Explorer" is a Latin American animated character from a Nick Jr. kids' educational show that aired from 2000 to 2014. Dora grew popular among pre-school children worldwide and was translated into over 35 languages.
In 2003, the show won a Peabody award for making learning fun for preschoolers. The show also spawned merchandise like toys, apparel, and books at the height of its popularity.
Every episode of "Dora the Explorer" follows Dora’s adventures where encounters obstacles along the. She seeks help from her viewers in solving these obstacles by way of puzzles, riddles or other learning activities involving numbers or language.
This news comes as Disney has been ramping its live-action slate from its animation library. The studio is in the middle of filming live-action versions of “Dumbo,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” following the box office surge of adaptations like “Jungle Book,” “Cinderella,” “Maleficent” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
Paramount likely saw the revenue potential of animated adaptations on the big screen and jumped on the trend like Disney.
