It’s been 26 years since Pee-wee Herman was last seen in theaters, but that’s about to change. During an appearance on last night’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, actor Paul Reubens announced that a new Pee-wee Herman film is officially in the works. It’s being produced by Judd Apatow, and filming will begin next February.

Herman said the film’s director and additional details will be announced next week.



The film will mark the third in the Pee-wee Herman series, following 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and 1988’s Big Top Pee-wee, as well as the CBS TV series Pee-wee’s Playhouse, which aired between 1986 and 1991. Reubens has portrayed the character on several occasions since then — including a stage show in 2010 — though a new film has been stuck in developmental hell for the last half decade.

Reubens previously said the film would be titled Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Movie and focus on the characters from the TV show — specifically, they’ll leave the playhouse for the first time, in search of a missing character.

Below, watch Reubens discuss the project on The Tonight Show, along with video of Pee-wee Herman’s appearance on Conan in 2011.