Legendary Entertainment and Scholastic Entertainment to Bring Ms. Frizzle & Her Magic School Bus to the Big Screen

June 23rd, 2026

Legendary Entertainment and Scholastic Entertainment to Bring Ms. Frizzle & Her Magic School Bus to the Big Screen

Live-Action The Magic School Bus Film Starring Elizabeth Banks as Ms. Frizzle Currently in Development from Director Rob Letterman

Legendary Entertainment, the leading independent media studio, and Scholastic Entertainment, the media division of the global children's book publisher, announced a live-action feature film adaptation of The Magic School Bus®, the beloved global franchise based on the book series created by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen and published by Scholastic.

Elizabeth Banks is slated to play the iconic teacher Ms. Frizzle. Rob Letterman (Detective Pikachu) will write the treatment and direct. The new film will be produced by Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman for Scholastic, Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, and Alison Small for Brownstone Productions, Marc Platt and Adam Siegel for Marc Platt Productions, and Mary Parent, Ali Mendes, and Cale Boyter for Legendary.

Celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year, The Magic School Bus originally captured hearts through its more than 90 million books in print and since expanded across television and digital platforms, including the original animated series starring Lily Tomlin as Ms. Frizzle, which aired in more than 100 countries, and a more recent adaptation, The Magic School Bus: Rides Again, featuring Kate McKinnon.

With a strong track record of translating fan-driven IP and creating premium original content, Legendary has established itself as the industry model for fresh and compelling franchise storytelling grounded in artistic integrity and long-term vision. Recent titles include the smash hit A Minecraft Movie, based on the world's bestselling game of all time, starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa; the six Academy Award^®-winning Dune and Dune: Part Two, adapted from Frank Herbert's Hugo Award-winning epic novel; multiple entries in its cinematic Monsterverse, including Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla, as well as Pokémon: Detective Pikachu; and the Enola Holmes franchise. Upcoming films include Dune: Part Three, the final installment in Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi trilogy; Magic: The Gathering, based on the $1 billion card game; a film adaptation of the iconic Street Fighter game; the live-action Gundam movie, adapted from the globally iconic franchise; Digger, from Alejandro G. Iñárritu starring Tom Cruise; the live action-animation hybrid comedy Animal Friends, starring Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, and Dan Levy; and additional event films from both Denis Villeneuve and the studio's Monsterverse franchise.

About Legendary Entertainment

Legendary Entertainment is a leading independent media studio with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media) and comics (Legendary Comics and Publishing) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to worldwide audiences. Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand that consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment and successfully translates the world's most popular fan-driven IP. In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of nearly $21 billion worldwide at the box office. To learn more, visit: https://www.legendary.com.

About Scholastic Entertainment

Scholastic Entertainment brings high-quality content across multiple platforms to audiences of all ages. Among its award-winning productions are the animated series "Clifford the Big Red Dog®" for Amazon Prime and PBS Kids, a live-action "Clifford the Big Red Dog®" feature for Paramount, and Peabody and Daytime Emmy® Award-winning "Stillwater®," an animated series for Apple TV+. Scholastic Entertainment continues to build celebrated brands worldwide by bringing both nostalgic Scholastic properties and exciting new voices to the screen. Additional, recent projects include "Eva the Owlet™," an animated series for Apple TV+ based on the New York Times bestselling Scholastic book series Owl Diaries™, and the hit live-action "Goosebumps®" series with Disney+ and Hulu. Scholastic Entertainment is the media division of Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL).

About Brownstone Productions

With a first-look film deal at Universal across both film and TV, Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman's Brownstone Productions' slate currently includes multiple film, television and digital collaborations across various networks and studios. Following a successful slate including COCAINE BEAR, BOTTOMS, the PITCH PERFECT franchise, and CHARLIE'S ANGELS, their current film slate includes Chloe Okuno's BAD HAND and Leigh Janiak's HARNESS. On the television side, Brownstone produced THE MINIATURE WIFE for Peacock, Hulu's critically acclaimed series SHRILL, PITCH PERFECT: BUMPER IN BERLIN, Peacock's biggest comedy launch to date, and the Emmy-nominated ABC game show PRESS YOUR LUCK. Their upcoming television slate includes a limited series for Prime Video and Warner Bros. Television, starring Elizabeth Banks, centered around the Karen Read trials, and an Apple TV comedy series starring Banks, Ted Danson and Katey Segal.

About Marc Platt Productions

Marc Platt Productions is an acclaimed entertainment company globally renowned for producing prestige and blockbuster feature films, television, and live theater. Its distinguished oeuvre-anchored by the global cultural phenomenon Wicked both on stage and on the big screen-has collectively earned dozens of Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony Award wins and nominations, while generating billions of dollars at the worldwide box office. For film, most recently the company produced the Academy Award Best Picture nominee Wicked and its sequel, Wicked: For Good, which together grossed an extraordinary $1.28 billion globally. Its slate of Best Picture nominees also includes Damien Chazelle's La La Land, which tied the all-time record with 14 Oscar nominations (winning six); as well as Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies and Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7, both of which secured six Academy Award nominations. Beyond its major award contenders, Marc Platt Productions consistently delivers massive global box office hits, cult classics, and critically celebrated releases including live-action blockbusters like How to Train Your Dragon, The Little Mermaid, Cruella, and Mary Poppins Returns; the star-driven commercial triumphs Wanted and Legally Blonde; the cult favorite Scott Pilgrim vs. the World; and widely acclaimed, award-nominated features such as Into the Woods, Rachel Getting Married, and Drive.

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