Without question, LeVar Burton’s work on Reading Rainbow has made him a beloved figure to millions of people thanks to his 26-year run on the PBS series dedicated to promoting childhood literacy. The show became a staple for teachers who made it the most watched PBS program in classrooms, outpacing even Sesame Street. Now, Reading Rainbow is getting the full documentary treatment thanks to XTR Studios, which calls this “milestone in television history” more important than ever in “our current era of distance learning.”
Titled Butterfly in the Sky, the Reading Rainbow documentary will be directed by Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb, according to The Hollywood Reporter:
The film will feature archival footage and interviews with Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton along with the major broadcasters, educators, and filmmakers involved in the show that encouraged a love of books and reading among children.
News of the documentary arrives as Burton comes off a guest hosting stint on Jeopardy! that was the direct byproduct of an overwhelming fan campaign calling on Sony Pictures Television to make him Alex Trebek’s successor. His fans argued that Burton educational work on Reading Rainbow made him the perfect candidate to host the once-revered quiz show.
While Burton ultimately didn’t get the top Jeopardy! job thanks to an increasingly frustrating situation involving Mike Richards, who was recently fired as executive producer after attempting to make himself the new host, Burton handled the situation with humility and graciously thanked everyone for the outpouring of love.
Although, he may have had a little cheeky fun when Richards was forced to step down. The man’s only human.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
