‘Sesame Street’: Bo Burnham Writing Songs for Upcoming Movie

Anne Hathaway is set to star in the live-action film, due out in theaters early 2021.

After giving the world a glimpse into middle school life, it looks like Bo Burnham’s going to help to do the same for the whole family.

Deadline is reporting that Burnham has been tapped to write songs for the upcoming live-action “Sesame Street” movie, expected in theaters in early 2021. Anne Hathaway is set to star, with “Portlandia” and “Baskets” co-creator Jonathan Krisel directing.

Burnham had one of 2018’s breakout indie hits with his debut film “Eighth Grade,” which he wrote and directed. His script earned him an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, part of a handful of awards the film earned during last year’s circuit. Prior to “Eighth Grade,” Burnham was a breakout viral star, whose comedy songs helped propel him to international fame. His last special “Make Happy” debuted on Netflix in the summer of 2016.

This news also comes with some additional details about the plot of the film, which draws on the iconic TV show theme song. Hathaway will play Sally, a TV show host trying to help Big Bird and the rest of the “Sesame Street” crew find their way home from the wild streets of New York City.

This latest gig is part of a diversified upcoming slate for Burnham. In addition to writing songs for “Sesame Street” his next screenplay is set to be Amy York Rubin’s feature directorial debut. Starring Danielle Macdonald and Jaboukie Young-White, the as-yet-untitled movie will take place at a high school.

Burnham is also part of a strong ensemble for “Killing Eve” Season 2 head writer Emerald Fennell’s debut film “Promising Young Woman.” Carey Mulligan headlines a cast that also includes Laverne Cox, Alison Brie, Connie Britton, Sam Richardson, and Molly Shannon.

Before the release of “Eighth Grade,” Burnham told IndieWire that he would be happy to direct another film of his own someday.

“I’d love to do another film,” he said at the time, joking, “Once this is out, I’ll try to sit around and just think for a little bit, just bang my head against the wall or something. But who knows? ‘Fifth Grade.’ We’ll do a ‘Lord of the Flies.’ And that’ll be chaos. That’ll be like actual chaos.”