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LeVar Burton set to HOST and produce new game show based on Trivial Pursuit
LeVar Burton may not be the next host of Jeopardy!, but his love for quiz shows has landed him another gig
LeVar Burton may never get the opportunity to host "Jeopardy!," but he is still active on the game show circuit. The 64-year-old "Roots" actor is collaborating with Entertainment One to develop a game show based on Hasbro's famous "Trivial Pursuit."
“LeVar Burton has been an iconic member of American pop culture for decades from Roots to Reading Rainbow to Star Trek and beyond. His love for intellectual curiosity paired with his ability to connect with audiences worldwide make him the perfect partner to bring Hasbro’s beloved trivia game to households in a new and exciting way,” said Tara Long, president of global unscripted television at eOne as per The Hollywood Reporter.
However, Burton will executive produce the show via his LeVar Burton Entertainment label. The series will be executive produced by Hasbro, who owns the rights to the popular board game. Executive producers will include EOne's Long and Geno McDermott, as well as LBE's Sangita Patel. “Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe. I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television,” Burton said as per THR.
Meanwhile, Burton was one of several who applied to succeed the late and great Alex Trebek as host of Sony TV's syndicated quiz game Jeopardy! He served as a guest presenter from July 26 to 30, after an internet petition garnered a quarter-million signatures, but he was not chosen as the next full-time host. Mayim Bialik, Big Bang Theory alum, is slated to be crowned Jeopardy's permanent host after former showrunner Mike Richards previously chosen for the post then stepped down due to outrage.
