Ever since The Flintstones premiered in cinemas in 1994, Hollywood has attempted to bring many other classic Hanna-Barbera characters to the big screen similarly. While some of these attempts would be realized, like Scooby-Doo and Yogi Bear, many would not. For better or for worse, Jonny Quest would fall into the latter camp. Over the last thirty years, numerous directors, writers, and production companies have tried to bring the series to life, but to no avail. Since this month is a celebration of all things Quest, and I just love talking about canceled/unproduced stuff, I thought it'd be fun to look at the history of this project. Get ready, because this story has as many twists and turns as any classic Jonny Quest adventure!
While there had been rumors about the project since the mid-1980s, traction on a live-action Quest flick didn't begin officially until April 1994, just a month before The Flintstones would release and become one of the year's biggest movies. This version of the movie was to be brought to us by Tribeca Productions and The Donners' Company and would enter production in 1995. Richard Donner of Superman and Goonies fame would direct the film, based on a script by Fred Dekker, who wrote movies like The Monster Squad and Robocop 3. They were gunning for a 1996 release, to help tie into Turner's big "Year of Jonny Quest" which also saw The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest TV series premiere.
So, what was the story of this movie? According to artist, writer, and Jonny Quest superfan Lance Falk, it told a story focusing on how both Hadji and Race joined the Quest crew. Characters like Dr. Zin, Jade, and the robot spy would all appear. It was to be set in 1964 and would be chock full of references and imagery from the classic episodes. It sounds like it had some potential, so naturally, it didn't go anywhere. I couldn't find any info as to why the project stalled, but given the eventual failure of The Real Adventures animated series and how much money was poured into that project, I imagine any Hollywood studio was cautious to greenlit anything related to Quest at that time.
We wouldn't hear any more official news on the project until over a decade later. In 2007, Variety reported that Warner Brothers was now taking a crack at it. This version would be written by Dan Mazeau, best known today for writing Fast X. For a while there, it seemed like production was moving full steam ahead. In 2008, Peter Segal was hired to direct, hot off the success of that summer's Get Smart (itself a film version of a classic sixties series). Just a year after that, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson confirmed that he would indeed portray Race Bannon in the film after a year of rumors. Zac Efron was also heavily rumored to play the title character, though this was never confirmed. Everything appeared to be moving along, and then...nothing! Segal said he was still working on the film in late 2013, and not too long after that, the project got another overhaul.
In May 2015, it was reported that a new version of the movie was being developed by Robert Rodriguez and Pirates of the Caribbean screenwriter Terry Rossio. Directors like Joe Cornish and Scott Derickson were in talks of helming the movie. A year later, a Forbes writer discussed the project, saying that he had read the script and thought it was excellent. This article also mentioned several actors that the studio was looking at for the role of Race. Among them were Bradley Cooper, Will Smith, and Idris Elba.
However, the Rodriguez version of Jonny Quest wouldn't be in development for long. In 2018, The Wrap learned that the film would now be directed by Chris McKay, who had recently directed The Lego Batman Movie for WB. Unfortunately, that's about where the story for Jonny ends. McKay did say in 2021 that a script had been turned in (though made no mention of who wrote said script), but there have been no further updates. Given WB's chaotic last couple of years, I'm not surprised, and I really doubt a Jonny Quest movie is a high priority for them.
And there you have it, the saga of the unmade Jonny Quest film, which ended about as abruptly as it began. I'm sure there will be more versions and updates on the project in the years to come, but it seems wild that it hasn't happened already. Quest feels like a perfect film for Hollywood these days. There's a sense of nostalgia towards it that can bring in older viewers, Jonny himself could bring in younger viewers unfamiliar with the property, and it's got plenty of sequel and merchandise potential. Maybe someday...
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