David Spade (Tommy Boy, The Benchwarmers, Grown Ups) is set to return as Joe Dirt in a new animated sequel series currently in development at Fox. According to Deadline, Spade will reprise his role from the 2001 comedy while also serving as an executive producer on the project.
Released in 2001, Joe Dirt followed the title character as he embarked on a cross-country journey to find the family that abandoned him as a child. Along the way, he encountered a colorful cast of characters while remaining optimistic despite a seemingly endless string of setbacks.
Written by Scott Gairdner (Moonbeam City, The Oscars, Tween Fest), the series is being co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Fox Entertainment.
According to the official synopsis, the series takes place 25 years after the events of the original film and follows Joe as he navigates life with his wife, Brandy, and their three teenage daughters while maintaining his trademark optimism.
“It’s now 25 years later, and Joe Dirt keeps on keepin’ on. He’s still in love with Brandy, his skull still hasn’t un-fused with the mullet, and most of all, he’s still got his eternal optimism.”
Spade will executive produce the series alongside Fred Wolf (Grown Ups, Tommy Boy, The House Bunny), who co-wrote the original film, as well as Gairdner, Doug Robinson (For Life, Rules of Engagement, Breaking In) and Lauren Moffat (Bewitched).
This is not the first attempt to bring the character back to television. Deadline noted that Sony Television previously developed an animated adaptation of the franchise for TBS in 2010. In 2015, Spade and Wolf reunited for Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, starring Spade, Brittney Daniel (White Chicks, Little Man, The Game), Patrick Warburton (Bee Movie, Get Smart, Family Guy), Christopher Walken (Catch Me If You Can, The Deer Hunter, Severance), Dennis Miller (Dennis Miller Live, Murder at 1600, The Net), Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers, Dance Me Outside, Windtalkers) and Mark McGrath (The Sweetest Thing, Scooby-Doo, Raising Helen).
Gairdner’s previous credits include work on the 2025 and 2026 Academy Awards, Conan, Lords of Synth, Cuplicated, Moonbeam City and HouseBroken.
Additional details regarding the upcoming series have not yet been announced.