Topline
A seemingly AI-generated movie poster circulating online has fans excited for a “Ms. Frizzle” movie from the world of the “Magic School Bus”—but the poster is fake and no such film is in the works, adding to a long list of similar fictions that have gone viral.
Quinta Brunson attends the 34th Annual Environmental Media Association Awards Gala on Oct. 26, 2024.
Getty Images
Key Facts
A poster that claims Quinta Brunson, “Abbot Elementary” star and creator, will take on the role of beloved 90s TV teacher Ms. Frizzle has garnered thousands of supportive likes and comments on social media—mainly on Facebook—for a project that doesn’t exist.
The circulating image shows a very-photoshopped Brunson wearing a coat in the character’s famous quirky style with Ms. Frizzle’s sidekick, a chameleon named Liz, perched on her shoulder.
Text posted alongside the poster claims the film will be a “heartwarming yet inspiring biographical drama” that “chronicles the extraordinary life of the beloved educator Ms. Frizzle.”
The image says the film is led by big-name director Greta Gerwig and will be released in winter of 2027, but a publicist for Gerwig confirmed to Forbes Monday that she’s attached to no such project.
Representatives for Brunson did not immediately respond to Forbes request for comment, but no Hollywood studio has announced plans for a Ms. Frizzle film.
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Tangent
Universal Pictures in 2020 confirmed a live action “Magic School Bus” film was in the works with actress Elizabeth Banks set to play Ms. Frizzle with Scholastic Entertainment, Marc Platt Productions and Brownstone Productions also on board. No further updates about the project have been reported however, and representatives for Scholastic and Marc Platt did not immediately respond to Forbes request for comment. Netflix in 2020 debuted an animated series called “The Magic School Bus Rides Again” with Kate McKinnon and Lily Tomlin, the original voice of Ms. Frizzle, as the main characters.
Key Background
Dozens of fake movie posters generated by artificial intelligence have gone viral in the last several years. A wave of Disney and Pixar movie posters flooded the internet in 2023 as people used the Bing’s Image Creator to turn their own photos and ideas into eerily realistic looking promotions for films that didn’t exist. More recently, Facebook has been flooded with posts claiming projects like a “Clueless” sequel starring Kiernan Shipka, Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd are in the works. Other examples of movie posters that have duped thousands online include a live-action “Coraline,” a Batman film called “Batman Invincible,” “Barbie 2,” “The Grinch 2,” “Toy Story 5” and a CGI remake of the 90s “The Land Before Time” films.