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Elizabeth Banks Stars, Rob Letterman Directs Live-Action Magic School Bus

6/24/2026

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Summary

Elizabeth Banks Stars Magic

Elizabeth Banks will star as Ms. Valerie Frizzle in a live-action Magic School Bus film.
Rob Letterman will write the treatment and direct the movie after directing Legendary’s 2019 Detective Pikachu.
Production will involve Scholastic, Brownstone Productions, Marc Platt Productions, Legendary, with Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman.
No release date or distribution platform has been announced for the film.

Summary

Elizabeth Banks Auditions

Elizabeth Banks has been pursuing the Ms. Frizzle role since at least 2020.
The Magic School Bus franchise began as a book series authored by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen.
The original animated series premiered in 1994, marking the first televised adaptation of the books.

History

Historical Context

Warner Bros. turned J.K. Rowling’s 1997-1999 novels into an eight-film franchise starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001, which earned over $7.7 billion worldwide by 2020. That success spurred studios to adapt other school-book series, leading Elizabeth Banks to helm Scholastic’s new live-action Magic School Bus film, continuing the trend of nostalgic educational properties.

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Elizabeth Banks Stars Magic

Elizabeth Banks will star as Ms. Valerie Frizzle in a live-action Magic School Bus film.
Rob Letterman will write the treatment and direct the movie after directing Legendary’s 2019 Detective Pikachu.
Production will involve Scholastic, Brownstone Productions, Marc Platt Productions, Legendary, with Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman.
No release date or distribution platform has been announced for the film.

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