Elizabeth Banks plans to take fans back to school.<\/p>\n
Deadline reported<\/a> on Tuesday that the Emmy-nominated actress and Pittsfield native<\/a> will produce and star in a live-action film adapting \u201cThe Magic School Bus,\u201d the beloved children\u2019s book series from author Joanna Cole<\/a> and illustrator Bruce Degen, which turns 40 this year. Banks will play fan-favorite teacher Ms. Frizzle, who was voiced by Lily Tomlin in the popular \u201890s cartoon adaptation for PBS (Tomlin also reprised the role in Netflix\u2019s follow-up series \u201cThe Magic School Bus Rides Again,\u201d in which Kate McKinnon starred as Ms. Frizzle\u2019s younger sister, Fiona).<\/p>\n Legendary Entertainment and Scholastic Entertainment are developing the live-action take on the franchise, which centers around Ms. Frizzle taking her classroom of inquisitive students on fantastical adventures with the help of a school bus imbued with magic powers. Rob Letterman, who directed \u201cDetective Pikachu,\u201d is attached to direct as well as pen the treatment for \u201cThe Magic School Bus.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s no word yet on who else may pop up in the cast \u2014 or if the film will use Little Richard\u2019s popular theme song from the PBS animated series \u2014 but the news marks the latest big role in the pipeline for Banks. The Bay State-born actress stars in the new sci-fi flick \u201cDreamQuil\u201d opposite John C. Reilly, which premiered earlier this year at SXSW. Meanwhile, on the small screen, Banks starred in the rom-com series \u201cThe Miniature Wife\u201d for Peacock along with Matthew Macfadyen, and was last year seen in Prime Video\u2019s \u201cThe Better Sister<\/a>\u201d alongside Jessica Biel (TV critic Chris Vognar praised it in his review, calling the series \u201chigh-grade pulp\u201d).<\/p>\n Banks is also attached to executive produce and star in a limited series for Prime Video on the Karen Read trial<\/a>, with Banks set to play Read, though no additional casting has been announced yet.<\/p>\n