Gina Rodriguez made her name at the forefront of The CW’s Jane the Virgin, but she’ll soon add another titular character to her growing resume. For Netflix’s forthcoming animated TV reboot of Carmen Sandiego, the streaming service has cast Rodriguez as the master thief herself.
The upcoming Netflix reboot is the latest step in the character’s long-running history. Established as an educational computer game character in 1985, Carmen found herself at the lead of PBS’s game show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? in 1991. From there, her popularity lead to even more games, books and additional TV series, including Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? and Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? The currently untitled new revival would serve as her fourth television appearance in less than 30 years.
While it’s still in the early stages, Netflix’s newest take on the popular video game character is certainly not the first time a studio has tried to bank on the long-standing nostalgia surrounding the property. In 2011, there were talks of making a live-action Carmen Sandiego film with Jennifer Lopez in the lead role. Those plans, evidently, fell through, and that’s maybe for the best. It’s not as if Sandiego can’t work in live-action, but she’s at her best in her animation form.
The plan is to release 20 new episodes, while still portraying Carmen Sandiego as a thief who helps children learn through puzzles and other educational activities. It’s hard to say whether the character’s new outing will remain a straightforward education series or if it’ll involve more interactivity, but those details will be hashed out as the project gets closer to its completion. If that’s the case, however, we might be looking at the next evolution of children’s education series, and a promising change-of-pace for the streaming service.
