LeVar Burton has found a new game show that he’d like to host.
Burton has teamed up with eOne to develop a TV game show adaptation of classic board game Trivial Pursuit. He will host and exec produce the project via his LeVar Burton Entertainment banner.
It comes after Burton guest hosted Jeopardy! and was one of the candidates considered to take on permanent duties for the classic show. After this guest stint, Burton told The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah that he was looking for the “right” game show to host.
Burton will exec produce alongside Tara Long and Geno McDermott from eOne and LBE’s Sangita Patel. No broadcaster is currently attached.
Trivial Pursuit has become a television show before; Freeform precursor The Family Channel ran a series hosted by Wink Martindale in 1993/94 that was loosely based on the game, while a syndicated version, Trivial Pursuit: America Plays ran in 2008/09.
It is the latest piece of Hasbro-owned IP that is being reworked for the small screen; Deadline revealed that eOne was developing a take on Mouse Trap for Fox and it is also working on an animated remake of Clue for the network as well as plotting a film and television world of Dungeons & Dragons and has teamed up with House of Cards’ Beau Willimon to develop a scripted version of Risk.
Geno McDermott, President, U.S. Alternative Programming – Unscripted Television at eOne told Deadline in April that it was working on a number of projects based on board games and toys. “Right when Lego Masters worked really well is when Hasbro acquired eOne, and the light bulb went off. We have all this IP so we started developing shiny floor shows and different types of formats where we’re starting with a piece of IP instead of starting from scratch,” he said.
“Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe. I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television,” said Burton.
“LeVar Burton has been an iconic member of American pop culture for decades from Roots to Reading Rainbow to Star Trek and beyond. His love for intellectual curiosity paired with his ability to connect with audiences worldwide make him the perfect partner to bring Hasbro’s beloved trivia game to households in a new and exciting way,” added Tara Long, President, Global Unscripted Television, eOne.
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