Animated ‘Jetsons’ Movie to Lift Off With ‘Sausage Party’ Director

Warner Bros. has hired “Sausage Party” co-director Conrad Vernon to develop its animated feature “The Jetsons” with an eye to direct.

Vernon’s credits include co-directing “Shrek 2,” “Monsters vs. Aliens” and “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” in addition to the raunchy “Sausage Party” with Greg Tiernan. “Sausage Party” grossed $140 million worldwide on a $19 million budget. Vernon also voiced the Gingerbread Man in the “Shrek” movies.

Warner Bros. has been trying for several years to move forward on “The Jetsons,” hiring Matt Lieberman to write the script in 2015.

The Hanna-Barbera original animated show aired in primetime on ABC in 1962-63. It was set in 2062 and centered on George, Jane, Judy, and Elroy Jetson along with Rosie the Robot. The series was a Space Age counterpart to Hanna-Barbera’s “The Flintstones.”

Warner Bros., which owns the Hanna-Barbera library, had been developing a live-action version of “The Jetsons” as recently as 2012 with Donald De Line and Denise Di Novi producing. The studio has also previously worked with Adam Shankman and Robert Rodriguez on the project at various times.