Berkeley Breathed’s Iconic Comic Strip, “Bloom County,” To Be Developed as Animated Comedy

The acclaimed comic strip “Bloom County,” created and written by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, screenwriter, producer and children’s book author Berkeley Breathed, is being developed as an animated series by FOX Entertainment, its Emmy Award-winning animation studio, Bento Box Entertainment, Miramax, Spyglass Media Group and Project X Entertainment.

Co-written and executive-produced by Breathed, BLOOM COUNTY centers on a collapsed lawyer, a lobotomized cat, and a penguin in briefs and fruit headwear living in the world’s last boarding house in the world’s most forgotten place deep in the dandelion wilds of FlyWayWayOver country. To wit, today’s America at a glance. Bento Box will serve as the animation studio on the project. Miramax, Spyglass, and Project X will also executive-produce.

“Bloom County” originated from Breathed’s first published comic strip, “The Academia Waltz,” which appeared in his student newspaper, “The Daily Texan.” The comic strip soon got the attention of editors at “The Washington Post,” who recruited Breathed to do a nationally syndicated strip. “Bloom County” made its debut in 1980, appearing in more than 1,200 newspapers worldwide, until its end in 1989. Shortly after, Breathed started strips “Outland” and “Opus,” which both featured “Bloom County” characters. In 2015, Breathed started posting new “Bloom County” strips via Facebook on an almost daily basis.

Regarding the announcement, Breathed said, “At the end of ‘Alien,’ we watched cuddly Sigourney Weaver go down for a long peaceful snooze in cryogenic hyper-sleep after getting chased around by a saliva-spewing maniac, only to be wakened decades later into a world STUFFED with far worse. FOX and I have done the identical thing to Opus and the rest of the Bloom County gang, may they forgive us.”

“I was introduced to the brilliance of Berkeley Breathed and ‘Bloom County‘ as a teenager. His signature blend of satire, politics, and sentiment hooked me. Plus, I love Opus,” added Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment, of FOX Entertainment. “Today, Berkeley’s smart and hilarious take on American culture is more relevant than ever. And, together with Bento Box, we’re thrilled to bring his unique ensemble of characters and social commentary to broadcast television.”

Breathed is a cartoonist and children’s book author, best known for his comic strips “Bloom County,” “Outland” and “Opus.” He’s also a screenwriter, production designer, and producer on films going back 30 years. His most recent project is the film production of his own story, “HITPIG!,” from Aniventure, due this year.

Breathed started his career drawing editorial cartoons for the “Austin American-Statesman.” While a student at the University of Texas, Breathed self-published his first comic strip, ultimately leading to the creation of “Bloom County,” which earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1987. Breathed continued on to produce ten children’s picture books. Two were made into animated films, and another was made into the 2011 motion-capture film “Mars Needs Moms.”