LeVar Burton to host, executive producer, Trivial Pursuit: NPR game show

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LeVar Burton (shown here in September) is set to host and help produce a game show based on Trivia Pursuit.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images


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Kevin Winter / Getty Images


LeVar Burton (shown here in September) is set to host and help produce a game show based on Trivia Pursuit.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

LeVar Burton fans, your prayers have been answered. It may not be hosting Danger!, but his game show career seems to have only just begun.

Burton’s LeVar Burton Entertainment has teamed up with Entertainment One (eOne), a studio owned by game company Hasbro, to turn the beloved board game Trivial Pursuit into a game show, eOne reported in a Press release Tuesday. Burton is expected to host and serve as co-executive producer, the statement said.

“Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming world. I am delighted to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium TV show,” said Burton said in Tuesday’s statement.

Burton, who has become a beloved pop culture icon due to his roles on shows like Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation, was among those who auditioned to host Danger! following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek. Despite abundant support on social media, Burton was ultimately not chosen.

The show’s executive producer Mike Richards landed the role, but resigned (and was fired as an executive producer) amid controversy surrounding the offensive statements he made on a podcast years earlier, according to United States today. Former contestant Ken Jennings and actress Mayim Bialik were then asked to host the show for the remainder of 2021.

But for Burton, failing to be part of the Danger! the inheritance may have been a blessing in disguise.

“What’s crazy is that when you set your sights on something, you know, they say to be careful what you want, because what I found out was that it wasn’t the thing I wanted after all, ”said Burton for a while. maintenance with The daily show in September. “What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, but when I didn’t get it, it was like, ‘Well, okay, what’s next?’ And so, the opportunities that presented themselves to me because I didn’t get this job, I couldn’t have imagined. ”

It’s unclear which network will ultimately air Burton’s new show, or exactly when it will air. Meanwhile, Burton also confirmed the news via his Twitter account on Tuesday, sharing a Variety article and writing, “Hey all of you, it’s happening!”

It’s a move that Burton’s partners also seem optimistic about.

LeVar Burton has been an iconic member of American pop culture for decades Roots To Rainbow reading To Star Trek and beyond, “said Tara Long, president of global unscripted television for eOne and executive producer of the new show Trivial Pursuit,” said Tuesday. “Her love for intellectual curiosity coupled with her ability to connect with audiences around the world entire make him the perfect partner in bringing Hasbro’s beloved trivia game to households in a new and exciting way. “



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