The beloved 1960s animated series The Jetsons is coming back to life on the big screen, with Jim Carrey signing on to star, presumably as the тιтle family’s patriarch, George Jetson. It will be the actor’s first role since announcing his retirement in 2022, with Dr. Robotnik in 2024’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 thought to have been his last character.
Colin Trevorrow (Jurᴀssic World: Dominion) is in talks to direct and co-write the screenplay with Joe Epstein (The Idoi), based on the hit animated series that debuted in 1962, with new episodes produced for syndication in 1985 and 1987. The beloved series followed the тιтle family, set in the year 2062, following their trials and tribulations while offering a potential glimpse at future life.
While the original series that spanned just 24 episodes was considered a failure, it re-entered the pop culture lexicon in the mid-1980s with the new episodes that reunited the original voice cast. It was so popular that the catchy theme song landed on the Billboard H๏τ 100 singles charts back in 1986.
There were several failed attempts at bringing a live-action version to life with directors such as Rob Minkoff, Adam Shankman, Robert Rodriguez, and Conrad Vernon. Now Warner Bros. is trying again, and while the patriarch has been cast, there are several more characters still needed to be cast at this time.
Jane Jetson – Jessica Chastain
While finding the right hair color match for an established character isn’t necessarily essential, if a talented redhead actress like Jessica Chastain is available to play the redhead Jane Jetson, who would turn down such a perfect fit? While the actress is best known for her dramatic work, this could be a great chance to showcase her comedic side.
Chastain has forged an impressive career with her dramatic roles, picking up an Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye in 2022, after nominations for The Help and Zero Dark Thirty, but this could be a chance to show another side of her acting chops. Besides, she is no stranger to comedy, hosting Saturday Night Live in 2018.
It was also announced last month that Chastain will reunite with Octavia Spencer, her co-star from The Help, for a new holiday comedy called Deck The Y’alls, so she’s clearly not averse to comedic roles. However, this new project coming along just before The Jetsons could provide some scheduling conflicts.
Other talented redheads like Isla Fisher, Bryce Dallas Howard, Christina Hendricks, and Jayma Mays could also be great fits for Jane Jetson.
Judy Jetson – Kathryn Newton
The 28-year-old actress may be a tad “old” to play teenage Judy Jetson, but she certainly wouldn’t be the first person in their late 20s to play a teenager on the big screen. Newton has already shown some incredible range at her age, starring in sitcoms (Gary Unmarried), big screen comedies (Bad Teacher), and horror films (Paranormal Activity 4),
She also has horror comedies (Freaky), indie dramas (Lady Bird), and even superhero movies (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) under her belt, and will add horror sequels (Ready Or Not: Here I Come) to her ever-growing list of genres tackled in 2026. Newton not only has the chops to perfectly portray Judy Jetson, but the bubbly and vivacious persona too.
Other viable (and blonde) 20-somethings that could feasibly take on this role include Dove Cameron, Kiernan Shipka, Elle Fanning, Lily-Rose Depp, and Sabrina Carpenter. If the production wanted to go with a true teenager, McKenna Grace, Arianna Greenblatt, and Alyvia Alyn Lind could be great picks as well. It’s possible the production could go with a fresh face also.
Elroy Jetson – Cary Christopher
This could be a perfect fit for Warner Bros., allowing the studio to parlay their success with the summer hit Weapons by locking in the film’s nine-year-old star Cary Christopher to play Elroy Jetson. The youngster has already put together quite the career, with roles on TV shows like Mr. Mom, 9-1-1, Fuller House, High Potential, and the upcoming Lanterns.
He also starred in the 2019 film Intuitions and played a young Joseph Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) in the 2020 Best Picture nominee Mank, though his scenes were ultimately deleted from the final product. Christopher has more than proven he can hold his own against established talent, and he would be an amazing addition to The Jetsons.
If the production does go with Newton as Judy, since she’s 28, it’s possible they could go a bit older with Elroy as well. 17-year-old Iain Armitage would be a great fit, coming off Young Sheldon, though his casting may pose some logistical issues, as the 5-foot-10-inch actor would tower over his “big sister” Newton, who only stands 5-foot-5-inches tall.
Other teen stars who could be good fits include 15-year-old Christian Convery (The Monkey), 16-year-old Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), and 16-year-old Winslow Fegley (8-Bit Christmas).
Rosie The Robot – Keke Palmer
While Rosie is an unofficial member of The Jetsons family, at best, she still has an integral part in the animated series, and it seems more than likely that she’d have a presence in this live-action movie. Whether it’s a fully-CGI-created character or an old-fashioned practical suit like C3PO, regardless, the character should be voiced by Keke Palmer.
Palmer has the perfect tone kind of biting wit that would be perfect for this new version of Rosie The Robot. She would surely keep the family in line with her fast-paced jabs, while providing a large bulk of the comedic relief. Seeing Jim Carrey trade comedic barbs with Keke Palmer may be worth the price of admission alone.
Of course, there are plenty of other comediennes who would be a great fit for this new Rosie as well. Hilarious women like Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Chelsea Handler, Wanda Sykes, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Sarah Silverman, Catherine O’Hara, Margaret Cho, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong or Whitney Cummings could be solid choices for this role as well.
Astro – Frank Welker
This would be a great addition, not only because Frank Welker is a voice-over legend, but it would bring things a bit full-circle for him. Welker voiced the minor character of Orbitty during the 1980s run of The Jetsons, Orbitty started as an egg that Elroy found that ultimately hatched and became part of The Jetsons family.
Much like Rosie, it remains to be seen how this live-action project will approach The Jetsons‘ beloved family pooch Astro, who speaks in the same way that another iconic Hanna-Barbera creation spoke: Scooby-Doo. Astro and his antics were a hilarious part of the original cartoon, Frank Welker voicing Astro would be pitch-perfect, regardless of how they portray the pooch.
Another possibility that is rather hilarious and intriguing would be Matthew Lillard, who portrayed Shaggy in the live-action Scooby-Doo movies and went on to voice Shaggy in many animated projects as well. Having him voice Astro and the similar vocal inflections to Scooby-Doo would be quite perfect. Others who would be great fits include Steve Blum, or Hank Azaria.
Cosmo Spacely – Jason Alexander
While there are a slew of characters who appear in The Jetsons outside the nuclear family, perhaps the most important is Cosmo Spacely, George Jetson’s cranky boss. Cosmo Spacely simply must be in Warner Bros. live-action Jetsons movie, and there is simply no better choice to play him than Jason Alexander.
Carrey would tower over Alexander much like how George Jetson towers over Cosmo Spacely in the cartoons, and his iconic work on Seinfeld proves he knows how to channel an irritated mood with the best of them.
In fact, Alexander is such a perfect choice, I’m not even going to bother suggesting any alternatives. Warner Bros. should be on the phone with Alexander’s reps as we speak for The Jetsons.
