This article is part of a directory: Bob The Builder Movie: Confirmation, Cast & Everything We Know
A movie adaptation of Bob the Builder is in the works. The cartoon, which contributed the iconic catchphrase "Can we fix it? Yes we can!" to the pop culture lexicon, follows builders Bob and Wendy and their talking vehicles as they take on various construction projects. The British show originally ran for 18 seasons between 1999 and 2011 before being rebooted with CGI animation for a three-season run beginning in 2015.
Per Variety, Jennifer Lopez is producing a movie adaptation of Bob the Builder. In the Heights and Hamilton star Anthony Ramos, who also recently appeared in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, is set to voice the title role. Screenwriter Felipe Vargas has been set to pen the Latinx-oriented retelling, which will follow Roberto, also known as Bob, to a Puerto Rico construction site on an educational journey.
Could The Bob The Builder Movie Be A Hit?
So far, not many other details are known about the Bob the Builder movie. This includes whether the movie's animation style will embrace the divisive updated redesign of the 2015 reboot or return the title character to his rounder, more iconic form. That factor will likely have a large impact on whether this nostalgia-driven project is able to draw in wide audiences.
As part of a new wave of Mattel-branded movies coming in the wake of the success of the Barbie box office, there seems to be hope that Bob the Builder can draw in a wide family audience. However, the movie seems like less of a sure bet than Barbie, which grossed $1.45 billion and was nominated for eight Oscars. The Bob the Builder brand has been more or less dormant for more than half a decade, so it remains to be seen if it draws the same kind of interest in the modern marketplace.
Similar recent movies have attempted to bring iconic children's characters to the big screen with underwhelming results. This includes the 2021 live-action Clifford the Big Red Dog, which grossed $107.4 million against its $64 million budget, and the 2022 musical Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, which cost $50 million and earned $111 million. If Bob the Builder falls in line with those titles, it may make a profit, but not by a huge margin unless producers are very careful with the budget.
Source: Variety
