While the CW just began working on a live-action pilot for Powerpuff Girls, the show's original creator Craig McCracken has revealed on Twitter that he hopes to do a live-action movie of his other popular Cartoon Network animated series, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. He also revealed in response to a fan question that he and his wife/writing partner, Lauren Faust, have a pitch for a Foster's movie.
After a successful run with the Powerpuff Girls in the late '90s and early '00s, McCracken created Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. It premiered in 2004 and was one of Cartoon Network's most popular shows for six seasons. The show had a unique premise about kids being able to manifest actual imaginary friends, but once the kids outgrow their creations, they send them to Madame Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, where they can be adopted by new children.
The main plot of the show is about a boy named Mac who grows too old for his imaginary friend, Bloo, but he makes an arrangement with the foster home so he can visit him there after school. Along with Bloo, Mac makes friends with plenty of other imaginary friends, the major ones being Wilt, Eduardo and Coco.
Over a decade has past since the series ended, but the kids who grew up with the show still have fond memories of it. The colorful characters, whimsical humor and wonderful animation and designs made Foster's one of Cartoon Network's best and most influential series of its era. Bloo's obnoxious but funny personality, Wilt's humble kindness, Eduardo's bravery, Coco's unpredictably, Mr. Herriman's uptightness and Cheese's craziness are all still remembered, and fans would love to seem them again in some way, so now would be a great time to revisit the world of the imaginary friends, especially a live-action version of it.
McCracken's idea for a Foster's movie would be a live-action film featuring real actors along with puppets and/or CG made by the Jim Henson Company for the imaginary friends. The success of recent Muppet movies like The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted can make a Foster's live-action movie appealing both to kids and the adults who grew up on the series.
With a budget and a decent amount of talent to join McCracken and Faust, their potential Foster's movie could be wildly entertaining. The animated series, thanks to its absurd premise, often came up with creative and hilarious plots to put its characters through. Longtime fans and a new generation of kids could get to see this fascinating reality and these wonderful characters come to life in a Foster's movie.
As good as CW's live-action Powerpuff Girls reboot could be, it doesn't sound as interesting as McCracken and Faust's potential live-action version of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. With CW's history of taking a property originally for children and adapting it into a darker show for young adults, like with Riverdale and Nancy Drew, fans will expect a similar treatment for Powerpuff Girls, which could be hit or miss.
However, the idea for a Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends live-action adaptation sounds incredibly intriguing and absolutely should be made. With McCracken and Faust in charge of the project, along with hopefully the help from The Jim Henson Company, the theoretical Foster's movie could be made with an endless amount of possibilities while being a unique entry into the catalogue of live-action reboots of cartoons.