Quinta Brunson Says Her Betty Boop Movie Is About the Animation Era, Not Just the Icon

Quinta Brunson is bringing Betty Boop back, and she’s promising a movie that digs deeper than the iconic flapper look. The project was announced in May and is being developed through Brunson’s Fifth Chance Productions with Fleischer Studios and Mark Fleischer, grandson of Betty’s creator Max Fleischer. Brunson will star as Betty and produce. On ABC’s“Good Morning America,”she told Robin Roberts the film focuses on the era of animation that created Betty.“It’s not just about Betty herself, but about an era of animation,”she said, adding that it’ll be“unlike anything anyone expects.”

The announced premise follows Betty’s origins and evolution through Max Fleischer’s eyes, as his creation took on a public life of its own amid creative and commercial pressures. Betty debuted in a 1930 animated short, and her roots have sparked debate over the influence of Black entertainers, including singer Esther“Baby Esther”Jones. The Fleischer family has said Betty represented the broader Jazz Age rather than one performer.

With no filming or release date announced yet, fans have plenty of time to speculate. What’s clear is that Brunson isn’t treating this like a simple cartoon reboot. What’s the one cartoon character you’d want to see get this kind of deep-dive movie treatment?