37 years after his first theatrical appearance, Roger Rabbit’s chances of returning to the big-screen have just increased, as Disney no longer has the rights to the character. Shortly after the publication of Gary K. Wolf’s 1981 novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, Walt Disney Productions purchased the rights to the titular anthropomorphic character and produced one of the greatest live-action and animation hybrid movies ever. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, directed by Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, Cast Away), hit theaters in June 1988, but, despite its popularity and influence, a sequel never came to fruition.
A sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? had been discussed and planned since 1989, but never came to pass. Now, because of a 35-Year Copyright Reversion Clause, Gary K. Wolf has regained the rights to his iconic character, removing creative control from Disney, and allowing him to develop his own projects focused on Roger Rabbit and his supporting cast. “I can basically do my own Roger Rabbit projects,” Wolf confirmed in an interview with IMNOTBAD.com (via Cartoon Brew), which makes us very excited to see the iconic character back in his creator’s hands.
What Roger Rabbit Sequels & Spinoffs Could Be Produced Now?
Who Censored Roger Rabbit? was just the first novel featuring the titular character written by Wolf, but certainly not the last. Roger returned in 1991’s Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? and 2013’s Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?, both of which could now form the basis for sequels to the animation and live-action hybrid movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The 1988 movie was a milestone in cinema history, and is regarded as one of the most culturally-significant and ground-breaking movies of all time. It’s shocking Disney never followed through with a sequel, but Wolf can now do better.
“Any sequels that we do have to at least match the quality of the original movie,” Wolf noted during his recent interview. “It has to be as good, or better than, what we did before. That’s what the fans want, and I have promised the fans that’s what I’m going to give them.” While Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? and Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? could be adapted into sequels, however, Wolf has confirmed that he and his team are working on developing a live-action adaptation of his 2022 novel Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business, which explores Jessica Rabbit’s origins.
Jessica Rabbit is the wife of Roger Rabbit and one of the most notable and iconic animated sex symbols in cinema history. Wolf has confirmed that an adaptation of Jessica Rabbit’s first novel is “probably the one that’s furthest along right now,” meaning we could be getting a follow-up to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? very soon. Whether original voice actor Kathleen Turner will return to voice Jessica Rabbit, or whether another of her voice actors will be involved, is yet to be revealed, but it will be fantastic to finally see the Roger Rabbit IP back on our screens.
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