Quinta Brunson Teases the Betty Boop Film as a Story About Animation's Complicated Origins

In October 2026, Quinta Brunson appeared on Good Morning America to give an update on her Betty Boop feature film, which she is developing and starring in through her Fifth Chance Productions in partnership with Fleischer Studios. Brunson described the project as still in development but said she is "creating a really incredible movie" and teased that "the story will be unlike anything anyone expects." Rather than a straightforward biopic of the cartoon character, the film will trace Betty Boop's origins through the eyes of animator Max Fleischer, examining the relationship between artist and creation as Fleischer navigates the creative and commercial pressures of building one of the world's first animated icons in the 1930s. The film will also address the historically contested origins of Betty Boop's style and voice, which drew heavily on Harlem jazz performer Baby Esther Jones and singer Helen Kane, unpacking what Brunson describes as a complex artistic and cultural crossroads between the Harlem Renaissance and the early Hollywood animation industry. Brunson, who recently won a Golden Globe for Abbott Elementary, confirmed the project is still being written and that a release date has not been set.