Elizabeth Banks plans to take fans back to school.
Deadline reported on Tuesday that the Emmy-nominated actress and Pittsfield native will produce and star in a live-action film adapting “The Magic School Bus,” the beloved children’s book series from author Joanna Cole and illustrator Bruce Degen, which turns 40 this year. Banks will play fan-favorite teacher Ms. Frizzle, who was voiced by Lily Tomlin in the popular ‘90s cartoon adaptation for PBS (Tomlin also reprised the role in Netflix’s follow-up series “The Magic School Bus Rides Again,” in which Kate McKinnon starred as Ms. Frizzle’s younger sister, Fiona).
Legendary Entertainment and Scholastic Entertainment are developing the live-action take on the franchise, which centers around Ms. Frizzle taking her classroom of inquisitive students on fantastical adventures with the help of a school bus imbued with magic powers. Rob Letterman, who directed “Detective Pikachu,” is attached to direct as well as pen the treatment for “The Magic School Bus.”
There’s no word yet on who else may pop up in the cast — or if the film will use Little Richard’s popular theme song from the PBS animated series — but the news marks the latest big role in the pipeline for Banks. The Bay State-born actress stars in the new sci-fi flick “DreamQuil” opposite John C. Reilly, which premiered earlier this year at SXSW. Meanwhile, on the small screen, Banks starred in the rom-com series “The Miniature Wife” for Peacock along with Matthew Macfadyen, and was last year seen in Prime Video’s “The Better Sister” alongside Jessica Biel (TV critic Chris Vognar praised it in his review, calling the series “high-grade pulp”).
Banks is also attached to executive produce and star in a limited series for Prime Video on the Karen Read trial, with Banks set to play Read, though no additional casting has been announced yet.
Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.