Director Brian Levant reveals John Goodman went to Steven Spielberg begging to skip a sequel to 1994’s live-action The Flintstones adaptation. Starring Goodman alongside Rick Moranis, Elizabeth Perkins, Rosie O’Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, and Halle Berry, the movie brought the classic 1960s animated Hanna-Barbera sitcom focused on a modernized Stone Age family to life. In the series’ leap to the big screen, Fred (Goodman) finds himself climbing the company ladder and helping Barney Rubble (Moranis) start a family, only to be roped into a devious scheme to swindle millions by a greedy executive (MacLachlan).
With 30 years passing since Levant’s The Flintstones, the director revealed to Total Film (via MovieWeb) that one star had no intention of returning for a proposed sequel. After having a rough experience throughout filming, Goodman spoke with Spielberg, who was a producer on the movie, to escape the production of a sequel that was being discussed. Check out Levant’s recollection below:
They wanted to do the same thing with The Flintstones that they did with Back to the Future and shoot [two sequels] back-to-back. [Goodman] made an appointment with Spielberg and said, “Please don’t make me do any more of these.”
Why Did John Goodman Dislike The Flintstones?
The Flintstones Wasn’t Exactly Goodman’s Choice
Fred (John Goodman) smiling as Wilma (Elizabeth Perkins) gives him a shoulder massage in The Flintstones
Despite being Spielberg’s choice to play Fred Flintstone, Goodman was not keen on taking the role because he didn’t want to be associated with a character he didn’t like for the rest of his career. However, he felt pressured when the director revealed his intention to cast Goodman in a table read for 1989’s Always. As such, Goodman has openly stated he and Spielberg had heated arguments before filming. Goodman and all but one member of the original Flintstones cast would decline to return for the next entry of the franchise.
With the first movie becoming a box office success, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas would be released in 2000. The Full Monty’s Mark Addy and Stephen Baldwin played younger versions of Fred and Barney as they searched for love and avoided the alien The Great Gazoo (Alan Cumming) in the bright lights of Rock Vegas. While some critics saw its charms, the box office showed audiences didn’t feel the same, with the movie falling short of matching its budget of $83 million by $23.6 million. The Flintstones franchise hasn’t had a theatrical feature since.
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas only grossed $59.4 million worldwide.
Despite its shortcomings, The Flintstones isn’t lacking in any notable positive elements, with the movie taking a detailed approach to bringing Bedrock to life through impressive sets and effects faithfully recreating the original show’s aesthetic. However, it is clear that the production wasn’t a choice Goodman would ever make on his own, and that made it frustrating. As such, Levant’s honest recollection of that period offers insight into exactly what Goodman was thinking back then and further explains just what happened with the franchise after.
