Netflix and Warner Bros. are teaming up for the first time to bring viewers a high-end animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' classic children's book Green Eggs and Ham. Ellen DeGeneres will executive produce for Warner Bros. Television alongside Jared Stern, Jeff Kleeman, Mike Karz and David Dobkin. Stern, who previously worked on The Princess and The Frog and Wreck-It-Ralph, and is currently working on The Lego Movie sequel, will write the 13-episode adaptation. The series will follow a standoffish inventor, Guy, and Sam-I-Am on an adventurous road trip wherein they learn to try new things, including of course, green eggs and ham.
As of now, DeGeneres, who delivered a much-beloved vocal performance in Finding Nemo, is only on board to produce and has no current plans to voice a character.The series is planed to be the most expensive, high-end animated series ever created for television and will take three years to produce. DeGeneres announced the project during today's taping of her talk show, which will air tomorrow.
Clip via EllenTube.
Deadline reports that the path to production was long for Stern and Green Eggs and Ham. He originally pitched an idea for a feature film to Warner Bros. and began development on the project with Dobkin, Kleeman and Karz. After that project fell through, Kleeman took the pitch with him to his new job running DeGeneres' company A Very Good Production. Green Eggs and Ham was then reimagined as a TV series and taken out only to Netlix, as the team thought it was the only place they could realize their vision with the right budget and timeline. Per Deadline, each episode could cost up to $6 million.
This is a thing I didn't know I wanted, but very much do. Netflix has reliably provided inventive, quality programming since they started producing original content, and with more than thirty years passed since the release of The Lorax (1972) and The Hoober-Bloob Highway (1975), we're long overdue for a great Dr. Seuss adaptation. I genuinely hope with all my heart that this turns out fantastic.
Here's the official press release from Netflix, written as an homage to Dr. Seuss:
NETFLIX ORDERS GREEN EGGS AND HAM
THIRTEEN EPISODES FOR THE WHOLE FAM
In 2018, This Classic Book
Comes to TV with a Whole New Look
Beverly Hills, Calif., April 29, 2015 –
Issued from Netflix headquarters.
Delivered straight to all reporters.
We’d love to share some happy news
based on the rhymes of Dr. Seuss.
Green Eggs and Ham will become a show
and you’re among the first to know.
In this richly animated production,
a 13-episode introduction,
standoffish inventor (Guy, by name)
and Sam-I-Am of worldwide fame,
embark on a cross-country trip
that tests the limits of their friendship.
As they learn to try new things,
they find out what adventure brings.
Of course they also get to eat
that famous green and tasty treat!
Cindy Holland, VP of Original Content for Netflix
threw her quote into the mix:
“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.”