May 26 2015

Robert Rodriguez Jonny Quest Movie? Sure, Why Not?

When we first saw the news about a Robert Rodriguez Jonny Quest movie, we said “what? why?” Then we quickly calmed down and said, “Sure. Why not?”

I grew up watching Jonny Quest, and I liked it well enough. I know there was a more recent reboot that I don’t think I’ve ever seen. Robert Rodriguez is a talented director; his Spy Kids movies are good clean family-friendly entertainment. Big Entertainment is constantly looking for old material that can be turned into successful megabucks multiplex gold. So why not Jonny Quest?

Commenters over at io9.com wonder what Mr. Rodriguez will do about Jonny’s sidekick/partner Hadji. Will he be a turban-wearing lad? Or is that culturally insensitive?

Another commenter offers this casting idea — Danny Trejo, aka Machete.

That, boys and girls, would be awesome.

(Also: there’s no H in Jonny — it’s not Johnny Quest, it’s Jonny Quest — OK? That’s mostly directed at me; I thought the young Mr. Quest spelled his name the regular way. I WAS WRONG.)

Watching the video clip above reminds me of how much I liked those old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. The intro to the original Jonny Quest doesn’t even show the title character until over a minute of whiz-bang neat stuff like dinosaurs, laser cannons, a mummy, and whatever the heck this thing is:

Jonny Quest One-Eyed Spider Thing

Watching that intro makes me think that this movie is actually a good idea. At least potentially. Rodriguez can do some amazing work with CGI, and Jonny Quest could be a cool canvas for him to create something fun.

From Dusk till Dawn and Sin City director Robert Rodriguez is no stranger to children’s adventure movies, having created the Spy Kids franchise. Now, though, he’s delving into an existing children’s series, bringing the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Jonny Quest to the big screen.

Source: Robert Rodriguez Is Working On A Jonny Quest Movie (io9)