Well, this was certainly unexpected. It looks like Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles producer Michael Bay has been signed on to produce a live-action adaptation of Dora the Explorer. Yes, the lighthearted children’s television series that follows a young girl going on small adventures with her anthropomorphic animal and object friends.
It’s been rumored for several years now that the series would be getting a film adaptation from Paramount Pictures. In fact there were even tumors from 2013 and 2015 that Michael Bay was attached, with a script from Tom Wheeler that was eventually rejected.
But now THR is reporting the film is once more on track, with Nick Stoller penning the script which will be produced by Michael Bay. The film will be aimed towards a 2019 release date. It’s also been reported that Dora will no longer be a seven-year-old, but rather a teenager relocating to the city.
It all seems like strange decisions, both with those involved in the production and the apparent story. How can one expect the animals to be portrayed in the film? And will we be seeing a map with actual facial expressions? It’ll be interesting to see how they execute it, that’s for sure.
If one thing is for certain, it’ll make sense for promotional purposes. Both Transformers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchises have succeeded in selling toys and merchandise, so one can suspect a Dora the Explorer movie would do the same.
Dora the Explorer should arrive to a theater near you in 2019.