Family Matters star Bryton James has pitched an idea for a reboot and he has an iconic star on board.
“[I] had an idea to take the show and turn it into an animated series,” James — who played Richie Crawford beginning in season 2 — told Entertainment Weekly.
According to James, he envisions “taking the old episodes and modernizing them and kind of starting from scratch for the new generation.” The actor added that he found “a production company in line to finance” and got “everybody on board, adding that he “got pretty far along” in bringing his vision to life.
Jaleel White — the breakout star of the series, who played Steve Urkel — also reportedly is “on board.”
The project is currently “sitting in Warner Bros.’ hands,” James said. “That plan is still kind of floating around out there, and I’m still trying to pursue it.”
According to Entertainment Weekly, Warner Bros.’ “are aware of James’ interest in doing a reboot but the project has not moved beyond that.”
James added that going the animation route, would mean “[the cast] wouldn’t have to all be in the same city to come together again to be on camera.”
“Jaleel wouldn’t have to put the outfit on either, and we could still deliver what the show did for the audience and for families especially, and revamp it for the new generation.”
White previously opened up about his desire to turn his memoir, Growing Up Urkel, into a television series.
“I just feel like using me as a canvas for real ’90s nostalgia, when you used to get a girl’s number on a napkin. When you had the old answering machine by your bed. When it was a big thing for a kid to have a phone in their bedroom,” White told CBS Boston in November 2024. “That’s what I think the legacy of Family Matters should be used for, to go back in the ’90s and have some fun.”
