Jerry Seinfeld will write, produce and star in an animated comedy for DreamWorks Pictures, it was announced today by DreamWorks principal Jeffrey Katzenberg. The computer-animated feature, entitled “Bee Movie,” will be set in an anthropomorphized world of bees.
In making the announcement, Katzenberg said, “Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most brilliant and unique comic minds of our time. It has been a dream of mine for over 10 years to be in business with him, and during that time, I have been willing to put myself in any number of potentially humiliating situations in order to demonstrate my unflagging appreciation of his talent. We were delighted when he came to us with his wonderfully funny concept for an animated feature and even more thrilled to be the studio that will bring Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy to the big screen.”
Seinfeld’s manager, Howard West, of Shapiro-West, commented, “Studios have been courting Jerry for years following the success of ‘Seinfeld,’ but it wasn’t until he met with the creative minds at DreamWorks that Jerry decided to do a film. We are very excited to be working with the proven DreamWorks team on this new endeavor.”
Jerry Seinfeld stated, “I have always been fascinated by bee society, the world’s most harmoniously run organization, and now I finally am going to be in it. The enthusiasm of Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg for this idea is the main reason I decided to do it.”
Jerry Seinfeld was already one of the nation’s top stand-up comedians when he created the sitcom “Seinfeld” in 1989. Debuting on NBC in 1990, the comedy series quickly rose to the top of the television ratings, becoming a tentpole of NBC’s seminal Thursday night lineup. TV Guide voted “Seinfeld” the number one show of all time. In 1998, Seinfeld made the decision to end the show’s run at the height of its popularity. That same year, he starred in his own HBO comedy special, “Jerry Seinfeld: I’m Telling You For the Last Time.” In 2002, he appeared in the critically acclaimed behind-the-scenes documentary “Comedian,” which he also produced.
