FOX’s Bedrock Still Alive! Cast Announced For Pilot Presentation

Deadline is reporting that FOX is moving forward with its primetime animated sequel series to the legendary The Flintstones in the form of Bedrock. The series from producer and now voice of “Pebbles” Elizabeth Banks leads a top-notch cast that includes Stephen Root as Fred; Amy Sedaris as Wilma; Nicole Byer as Betty; Joe Lo Trulio as Barney; Manny Jacinto as Bam Bam.

The series will pick up two decades after the OG series that will continue the story of the Stone Age family, Bedrock catches up with the Flintstone family two decades later, with Fred on the brink of retirement and 20-something Pebbles embarking on her own career. As the Stone Age gives way to a shiny and enlightened new Bronze Age, the residents of Bedrock will find this evolution harder than a swing from Bamm-Bamm’s club.

WB Animation and FOX Entertainment are producing.

Our Take

Right off the bat I know people are going to be pissed off at Manny as Bam Bam and Nicole as Betty who are both appearing to be portraying white characters though is it possible that the new series changes the ethnic backgrounds of the legendary characters? I can’t imagine PoC characters voicing white characters in this day-in-age given that I thought that wasn’t allowed and everyone was only allowed to voice how they are “seen” on screen? Bam Bam is on the cover of lots of Pebbles cereal boxes and has been for decades so unless if Manny is portraying a Filipino-altered take on the character, I don’t know how this gets past the censors. Same with Nicole Byer, who would be voicing a potentially white character. It will be interesting to see which way this one swings in this day-and-age of cancel culture. The WB-produced Velma changed the ethnic background for the longtime character in favor of Mindy Kaling which worked out well for HBO MAX, so perhaps that’s the thinking here for the eventual pilot presentation.

A big thing to think about here, this is a FOX Entertainment-produced series, they may not care who voices who. Disney definitely cares and were probably behind white voice actors losing a bunch of roles that were featured on Disney-owned series like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers, though strangely is totally fine with the likes of Aparna Nancherla, an actress of Indian decent, portraying a white young male in The Great North. 

This isn’t me taking away anybody’s talents as I’m a huge fan of Byer, Jacinto, and Nancherla, but equal rights isn’t equal if everyone can’t break the supposed new voice-casting rules. If the characters change ethnicities I’m actually more onboard with a wholesale change of a character than different rules being available for different series.