Chance the Rapper is in talks to join the cast of the Sesame Street movie. Sesame Street resonated with children and adults alike when it first aired on PBS in 1969. It provided a unique view of education entertainment, with the series combining sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. The show also gave birth to some of the most iconic characters in TV history, including Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, and Elmo. Last year, Sesame Street celebrated its 50th anniversary, coinciding with Warner Bros’ announcement that fans could expect a Sesame Street live-action musical to hit the big screen.
Helmed by Portlandia director Jonathan Krisel, Sesame Street garnered further buzz when the live-action adaptation revealed Anne Hathaway was cast in the starring role. With original songs composed by Bo Burnham, Sesame Street will center on characters after they are mysteriously banned from their neighborhood, forcing them to join forces with history host Sally Hawthorne (Hathaway) to prove Sesame Street exists. Previously slated for a January 2021 release, Sesame Street hit the brakes with a bump to the summer of 2021 and is now speculated to arrive in January 2022. However, Sesame Street appears to be back on track and set to dole out the nostalgia of childhood Saturday mornings with an exciting new development.
As reported by Collider, Chance the Rapper is in negotiations to join the cast of the Sesame Street movie. Chance is poised to fill the role of the Mayor’s aide in the family-friendly film. No stranger to Sesame Street's neighborhood, Chance appeared on an episode called “T is for Theater” in January 2019. Best known for his mixtape, Coloring Book, Grammy-winning Chance the Rapper segued into the film industry with a starring role in horror-comedy Slice and as a judge on Netflix’s Rhythm+Flow. Recently, it was announced that Chance the Rapper will host Quibi’s revival of Punk’d.
\Sesame Street is in the creative hands of producers Shawn Levy (Stranger Things), Michael Aguilar (The Departed) and Jesse Ehrman (Ocean’s Eight). Warner Bros. shows no signs of slowing down the expansion of its family-friendly catalog with the Scooby-Doo film series getting a reboot called Scoob!, and a live-action Tom & Jerry expected to hit theaters in December 2020.
The past couple of years have proven that no show or topic is off limits for a rebirth in live-action, including Disney’s Aladdin, Mattel’s Hot Wheels, or Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog. Sesame Street continues to pull strong ratings for HBO and is regarded as the best educational programming resource for young audiences, so it's long overdue to be seen on the big screen. Chance the Rapper would be a great addition to the cast, as he has shown he fits well into the beloved children's program and would add a bigger draw with his fan base. Given Sesame Street's massive popularity, the live-action adaption of Sesame Street stands a chance at being a success for Warner Bros.
Source: Collider