Bob the Builder, the cheerful handyman who first appeared on CBBC 25 years ago, is getting a cinematic makeover by none other than Jennifer Lopez.
The film will follow Roberto (also known as Bob) as he travels to Puerto Rico for a big building project, where he “takes on issues affecting the island and digs deeper into what it means to build”.
According to reports, the film will “celebrate the vibrant and colourful textures of the Caribbean Latin nations and their people”.
The director is yet to be announced, but the script will be penned by Felipe Vargas, who previously wrote a horror short about a dark fairy who preys on children in an orphanage.
The voice of Bob will be provided by Anthony Ramos, who starred in both the stage and screen versions of In the Heights.
ALSO READ| Missing Snorlax? Pokemon announces a new manga all about your favourite Pokemon
“For years, Bob the Builder’s characters have inspired young people around the world. A movie about friends working together, a celebration of a beautiful home they share, and how love can help to conquer any obstacle in your way. Can we fix it? Yes, we can!” He said.
Ramos, who is also producing the film with Lopez, said that some aspects of the film were based on his own life experiences. Robbie Brenner, the president of Mattel Films, praised Ramos and Vargas for their “genius vision for the story” and said that they would capture the essence of the beloved character for both old and new fans.
History of Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder started as a cartoon about a bricklayer who, along with his co-worker Wendy and various talking machines, tackled different building tasks on the BBC’s children’s channels from 1999 to 2011.
The show was a global hit, with minor changes in language and voice actors for different markets. Neil Morrissey, who voiced Bob in the original and had a UK No 1 hit with the song Can We Fix It?, was replaced by Greg Proops for most of the US version of the show.
There was a rumour that Bob and his crew would get an extra finger for the Japanese version of the show, because having four fingers was associated with the yakuza, the Japanese mafia. However, this turned out to be false, and the four-fingered Bob remained unchanged. Postman Pat, another four-fingered character, also avoided this issue.
ALSO READ| Will Smith to Marlon Brando: 10 Oscar winners that sparked controversy and backlash
In 2011, Mattel bought Bob and another popular kids’ character, Thomas & Friends, for $680m. A new version of the show was launched in 2014, but it faced criticism from fans of the original.
The huge success of Greta Gerwig’s satirical take on Barbie, which smashed box office records and received eight Oscar nominations this week, has inspired a wave of Mattel movies.
