Nickelodeon Is Making a New 'Hey Arnold!' Movie, May Bring Back More Classic Shows
Everyone's favorite Football Head is making a comeback: Nickelodeon has revealed that it's set to make a new "Hey Arnold!" movie.
The Adventures of Pete & Pete," was recently named the network's new senior vice president of content development for franchise properties -- and that wordy position was created specifically to "mine the network's vast library of original series to develop new shows for modern audiences," per Variety. And while Viscardi says that reconnecting with Millennial viewers that are now grown is part of the appeal of potentially bringing back series such as "Ren and Stimpy" and "Rocko's Modern Life," Nickelodeon is mostly making these moves in an attempt to connect with its current audience.
"You have to remember people who are going to watch really don't have a recollection of 'Hey Arnold!,'" said Russell Hicks, president of content development and production for Nick. "You have to make it relevant to them but also nod to the audience that is going to be interested."
Based on the excitement over Clarissa Explains It All" for revivals, as well as series it no longer owns, including "Doug."
"We are very selective about the series, what we go back to, and think about how we can take them and make them special," Viscardi told the trade. "It's really important to us to be really consistent with the storytelling that was there long ago on the series but also work to reimagine it, even just a little bit, and make it appealing and thrilling for today's audience."
That includes connecting directly with the creators of those shows, which was how Nick wound up with the "Hey Arnold!" revival: According to Variety, the network was meeting with creator Craig Bartlett about a different show and got to reminiscing about "Arnold." Now, Bartlett will write and produce the new movie.
There's more where that came from, and Nick execs told Variety to expect additional announcements about new revivals in the months ahead. We can't wait.
[via: Variety]