Seth MacFarlane Preps Flintstones Update

BURBANK: 20th Century Fox Television and Warner Bros. Television will jointly produce an update of the classic animated comedy The Flintstones, to be helmed by Seth MacFarlane, for FOX’s 2013 schedule.

Warner Bros. holds the rights to the The Flintstones via its ownership of the Hanna-Barbera library. The update will be exec-produced by MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad) together with Dan Palladino and Kara Vallow. Production begins this fall for a FOX debut in 2013.

"The very first cartoon character I drew at age two was Fred Flintstone," said MacFarlane. "So it’s appropriate that events have come full circle, allowing me to produce the newest incarnation of this great franchise. Plus, I think America is finally ready for an animated sitcom about a fat, stupid guy with a wife who’s too good for him."

"The Flintstones are among the funniest and most beloved characters in television history, and we can’t wait to introduce them to a whole new generation on FOX," said Kevin Reilly, president of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting Company. "FOX has long been home to iconic families like the Simpsons and the Griffins, so I have no doubt that the Flintstones and the Rubbles are going to fit right in on our air."