Looks like there will be a whole lot more exploring and stopping Swiper from Swiping in everyone’s lives. What many assumed was just a joke, is becoming a reality. Dora the Explorer Live Action series is officially happening.
Yes, you read that right. Paramount recently announced that multiple new “Dora the Explorer” projects are in the works, including a new animated series aimed at preschoolers — the intended audience for Dora’s original Nick Jr. show — as well as a live-action “Dora the Explorer” series for the streaming service Paramount+ (via Deadline). These new Dora projects will be the franchise’s first entries in the 2020s, keeping the long-running children’s franchise alive since it first aired in 2000.
The last “Dora” release, before this, was the live-action feature film “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” in 2019, which took a slightly more mature, comedic tone intended for tween audiences. “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” proved a surprising hit for Paramount Pictures, grossing just under $120 million worldwide on a $49 million budget (via Box Office Mojo).
In the age of reboots, cinematic universes, and nostalgia-driven entertainment, Dora is a prime candidate for new installments geared toward today’s children and audiences who grew up with the character — whether they have children of their own to engage with Boots and Swiper the Fox or not. And while the new Dora-related announcements are still very reecent, here is everything we know so far about the “Dora the Explorer” live-action series in the works at Paramount+.
It’s not yet known when the first-ever live-action “Dora the Explorer” series will premiere on Paramount+, since the project was just announced on Feb. 15. According to Deadline, while the “Dora the Explorer” animated series (aimed at younger kids) is reportedly scheduled to air in 2023, the live-action version does not yet have an expected release date.
The live-action series will draw inspiration from the comedic tone and style of “Dora and the Lost City of Gold“, which starred Isabela Merced as a teenage version of the titular character. Michael Peña and Eva Longoria appeared as Dora’s parents, and the film’s voice cast included Danny Trejo as Boots, and Benicio del Toro as Swiper. Merced was 17 years old during principal photography in 2018, so if Paramount+ is interested, the actress could return to the role and still conceivably pull off a high-school aged Dora geared toward tween audiences.
While the original show took an episodic to its storytelling, it might not surprise viewers if the new “Dora the Explorer” show takes a serialized format with an overarching plot, given the age group it’s targeting. Then again, other Paramount+ reboots of Nickelodeon shows, like iCarly, have largely taken an episodic approach, similar to their original incarnations. Stay tuned for more updates as development on “Dora the Explorer” gets underway.
