Jessica Rabbit Could Be Hitting the Big Screen Soon According to Most Recent Reports

Gary K. Wolf, the creator of Roger Rabbit, now officially owns the rights to his characters again.

This news was shared exclusively with ImNotBad.com and Jessica Rabbit World. After decades, the rights to Roger Rabbit and related characters have returned to Wolf thanks to the 35-Year Copyright Reversion Clause. This law allows authors and creators to reclaim rights to their work 35 years after they originally sold them.

Wolf says this opens the door for new projects based on his original stories. “I now have back the rights to all my characters, all my books. I can, basically, do my own Roger Rabbit projects,” he said.

One project that is already taking shape is a live-action Jessica Rabbit movie. This will not be a remake of the 1988 Roger Rabbit movie, but instead a film inspired by Wolf’s 2022 novel, Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business.

“The one that is most prominent … is a live-action Jessica Rabbit movie based on the book Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business. That was the first project that we took a look at and the first we started developing. It’s probably the one that’s furthest along right now,” Wolf explained.

Wolf emphasized that any new films must match or exceed the quality of the original movie. “Any sequels that we do have to at least match the quality of the original movie. In production value, in tone, in script content, in empathy, in character development. It has to be as good, or better than, what we did before. That’s what the fans want, and I have promised the fans that’s what I’m going to give them.”

He also mentioned that Disney could still be involved if he chooses. “I would love to work with Disney again. I’d love for Disney to participate in this. We could partner up on this. There’s a core group of people who were involved with the first movie, and I would love to work with those people again. Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy. I’d love to have Charles Fleischer come back and voice the rabbit again.”

Wolf admitted he was surprised the rights could return at all. “35 years after you have sold the rights to a book or [song], you could petition the Library of Congress and get those rights back. [An attorney] said to me, ‘You could get your rights back from Disney.’ I said, ‘There’s no way that’s possible.’”

He also praised Disney for how they handled the original movie and the rights process. “Disney was always top-notch for me. They treated me very well. They always accommodated me in whatever I wanted to do,” Wolf said. The rights quietly reverted about a year ago, giving him time to plan future projects carefully.

Wolf’s team is exploring several projects based on his novels, but the Jessica Rabbit movie is clearly the most advanced. He wants to fully expand the world of Roger Rabbit while staying true to the tone and style fans love. “I’m looking to have fun with this and give the fans what they have been wanting now for 35 years,” he added.

It looks like fans could soon see Jessica Rabbit in a new, fully realized story, and this marks a major new chapter for the Roger Rabbit universe.

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