Live-action movie version of children’s TV series Mr Benn in the works | Film
A live-action film based on the cult British children’s cartoon Mr Benn is set to go into production with I Swear director Kirk Jones at the helm.
Mr Benn first appeared on the BBC in 1971, in a series created by David McKee, who died in 2022. The series followed the adventures of “a very ordinary man who can do extraordinary things” who visits a magical clothing store that acts as a gateway to different worlds. Only 13 episodes were made before the series ended in March 1972, but a one-off episode aired on the children’s channel Nick Jr. in 2005.
Jones, who previously directed Nanny McPhee and Waking Ned, said: “I adored Mr Benn as a child and immediately recognized the importance of introducing him to a new generation… Mr Benn finds a unique way of traveling through time and space, visiting historical and futuristic worlds to solve seemingly monumental problems with kindness, compassion and common sense… If all goes to plan, Mr Benn could even save the world.”
In 2017, McKee told the Guardian: “I wanted to write a story about Mr. Everybody. Everybody’s stuck in a situation… We all have this routine and the adventures were an escape from the routine.” There have been many attempts to make a film over the years, including one starring John Hannah as Mr. Benn and Ben Kingsley as the shop owner, but none have worked.
Casting for the film is expected to begin later this year and shooting is expected to begin in 2027.
