Ryan Gosling goes prehistoric — developing a live-action Flintstones movie about Bamm-Bamm

Here comes a bit of unexpected news out of Hollywood: Ryan Gosling wants to drag us back to Bedrock, but with a twist. Instead of yet another round with Fred, Wilma, and the lot, this fresh live-action Flintstones movie will apparently revolve around an adult Bamm-Bamm Rubble. Yes, the ridiculously strong adopted son of Barney and Betty, now all grown up. If you ever wondered what happened to him after the stone age nappy years… well, Gosling seems intent on answering that question.

Bamm-Bamm Rubble is getting his own live-action film, developed and produced by Ryan Gosling.

Bamm-Bamm In The Spotlight

This new Stone Age project is being set up by Gosling along with Jessie Henderson under their Open Invite production banner. At the moment, they’re still on the hunt for a writer, so there’s no finished script or even a proper logline floating about yet. The only firm detail is the focus on Bamm-Bamm, with all other plot points being kept very much under wraps – so don’t expect any spoilers from Fred and Dino just yet.

The Flintstones have a fairly long and occasionally baffling franchise history. The original animated show from Hanna-Barbera ran in prime-time on US telly between 1960 and 1966. You had Fred and Wilma Flintstone at centre stage, their best mates and neighbours Barney and Betty Rubble, and the kids – Pebbles (born to Fred and Wilma later in the show) and Bamm-Bamm (the Rubbles’ superhumanly strong adopted son, who could basically bench-press a triceratops by the time he was five). Pet dinosaur included because hey, why not?

This Isn’t The First Time

If you’re feeling a sense of déjà vu, it’s probably down to the previous live-action attempts. In 1994, Universal served up a big-screen version starring John Goodman (Fred), Rick Moranis (Barney), Elizabeth Perkins (Wilma), and Rosie O'Donnell (Betty). Critics weren’t especially entertained, but audiences clearly were – it took in over $341 million globally. Six years down the line, that was followed by a prequel titled The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, but with a completely new principal cast (Mark Addy, Stephen Baldwin, Kristen Johnston, Jane Krakowski) and, unfortunately for Universal, not much box-office magic: only $59.9 million this time and reviews that bordered on brutal.

Gosling’s Retro Year

So, what else does Gosling have on his plate? Quite a bit, actually. The big Marvel reveal at last Comic-Con was that he’ll step into the flaming boots of Ghost Rider, with Shawn Levy directing and a release pencilled in for July 28, 2028. That’s on top of leading Star Wars: Starfighter from Lucasfilm (release date: May 28, 2027), which lands five years after The Rise of Skywalker, and apparently had some fairly bouncy footage on show at D23. As for a Barbie sequel – the negotiations there have all gone quiet for now, so don’t hold your breath.