Winnie-the-Pooh is the fan-favorite bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard who entered the public domain last year, which means all of the characters from The Hundred Acre Wood are being adapted into content that’s not as family-friendly as their stories from the past. Earlier this year, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was released and despite being labeled one of “the worst movies of all time,” a sequel to the horror movie is already in development. If that wasn’t enough, an R-rated live-action/animation hybrid series about Christopher Robin is now in development from Boat Rocker Studios, Shamier Anderson, and Stephan James’ Bay Mills Studios.
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According to Variety, the Christopher Robin series will follow the titular character, who is described as “a disillusioned New Yorker navigating his quarter-life crisis with the help of the weird talking animals who live beyond a drug-induced portal outside his derelict apartment complex, the Hundred Acres.” The script was written by Charlie Kesslering (Foreign Relations) who will also executive produce the project. The pilot for Christopher Robin is being helmed by Conrad Vernon (Sausage Party, Shrek 2) who is also executive producing. Nick Nantell executive produces for Boat Rocker along with Anderson and James for Bay Mills while Holly Hubsher is overseeing the project for Bay Mills.
“There are few characters more iconic and known the world over for their adventures together than Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh,” Nantell, executive vice president of creative affairs for Boat Rocker Studios, Scripted, said in a statement “We’re grateful to be working with the Bay Mills team, Charlie Kesslering, and Conrad Vernon on a project that takes these characters to new, unexpected, and really funny places.”
“This project takes everything you think you know about Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh and creates something completely fresh and undeniably funny,” Anderson and James added. “We’re excited to partner with Boat Rocker, Charlie, and Conrad on this journey to a truly creative space where anything is possible for these characters.”
Each year, new intellectual properties enter public domain due to the specifics of the Copyright Team Extension Act of 1998. The current rules under that act allow for works from 1927 to enter the public domain after a 96-year extension.
How do you feel about this new R-rated Christopher Robin project? Tell us in the comments!
