Live-Action Version Of Classic '60s Adventure Franchise Hits Netflix Ahead Of Ryan Gosling's Reboot

Published Sep 5, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT Liz Declan is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant, primarily covering movies. She is a massive fan of Star Wars, the MCU, and Supernatural. In addition to writing, Liz loves attending and covering conventions and interviewing actors. Find her on TikTok and Instagram @va.va.vera Ryan Gosling has been starring in major movies for decades, but over the last few years, it's seemed like the actor is everywhere. Several years after some of his most well-known roles, such as Noah in The Notebook and Sebastian in La La Land, Gosling actually starred in the highest-grossing movie of 2023, Barbie, as Ken—and helped the viral bop "I'm Just Ken" win a Critics' Choice Award for Best Song. Then, just this year, Gosling played the lead in the massively popular, critically acclaimed movie Project Hail Mary. Gosling also clearly isn't slowing down anytime soon. In fact, his upcoming Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, is currently the only film in the franchise with a confirmed release date (May 28, 2027), and at San Diego Comic Con this year, it was revealed that Gosling will be starring as the titular lead in the MCU's 2028 movie Ghost Rider. With Gosling breaking into two massive franchises in the next few years, it seemed unlikely he would be announcing anything else soon. However, confirmation that Gosling and Warner Bros. are working on a live-action Flintstones reboot proved that wrong. Thus far, little is known about Gosling's Flintstones movie. Reportedly, the movie is in the very early stages, with Gosling and Warner Bros. still shopping for writers, although it is confirmed to center on a grown-up Bamm-Bamm, the Rubbles' adopted son. With that premise, many are expecting Gosling to play Bamm-Bamm, but that's not necessarily the case. Currently, Gosling is only said to be producing, alongside his Open Invite Entertainment co-founder Jessie Henderson. However, there is one project audiences can look to for a sense of what this movie might look like, and now, it's available to stream on Netflix. Why The Flintstones (1994) Is Worth Watching On Netflix Just after the news that Gosling is working on a live-action Flintstones reboot, Netflix added a film that will, in some ways, be a predecessor to Gosling's project. Namely, the 1994 live-action movie The Flintstones landed on the streaming platform as of September. At first glance, The Flintstones might sound like a movie to skip—after all, it currently has a bleak 23% critic score and 25% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score representing more than 250,000 ratings. That certainly suggests that the movie was a flop, but, for myriad reasons, it actually deserves a watch. For one, The Flintstones has all the goofy, sometimes cringe-worthy charm that one should expect of a '90s movie, and for the most part, that's intentional. The movie consistently pokes fun at itself, and the moments that perhaps feel 'cheesy' weren't done on accident (which would be so much worse). Rather, The Flintstones is having fun with the premise of the movie, which is actually precisely what a live-action remake of this '60s show requires. What's more, The Flintstones is ridiculously star-studded. Fred Flintstone is played by John Goodman, Barney Rubble is played by Rick Moranis, Betty Rubble is played by Rosie O'Donnell, and Wilma Flintstone is played by Elizabeth Perkins. However, the core four are arguably far from the biggest names in the movie, considering Wilma's mother, Pearl Slaghoople, is played by none other than Elizabeth Taylor (yes, that Elizabeth Taylor), and Fred's secretary, Miss Stone, is played by the equally dazzling Halle Berry. What Ryan Gosling's Flintstones Reboot Needs To Get Right Jennifer Bloc/Future Image/Cover Images As much as 1994's The Flintstones might be criticized for its tone and somewhat cringey moments, that is actually precisely what Gosling's Bamm-Bamm movie should be aiming for, at least to a degree. It doesn't have to be quite as silly or on-the-nose, particularly because it's being made in the 2020s, not the 1990s, which were obviously a very different era in which to make films. But, surely, Gosling's movie should have a light-hearted, goofy approach. There's very little about the premise of the original show that could be made into a serious story. Slightly more controversially, this movie really should cast Gosling as Bamm-Bamm. There are plenty of valid conversations to be had about welcoming in new talent, and that should absolutely happen. However, the news that Gosling was working on this movie immediately had fans wanting to see his portrayal of the character—no doubt fueled by how beloved he was as Ken. Ryan Gosling actually seems perfect for the role, especially if they lean into the goofier side, so hopefully, that is the casting that he and Warner Bros. have in mind. Release Date May 27, 1994 Runtime 91 minutes Director Brian Levant Writers Jim Jennewein, Steven E. de Souza, Tom S. Parker Producers Bruce Cohen, Colin Wilson, David Kirschner, Gerald R. Molen, Joseph Barbera, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg Cast Elizabeth Perkins Wilma Flintstone