FOX reported today that animation overlord Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad), after many years of negotiations between 20th Century Fox TV and Warner Bros Television, is rebooting The Flintstones as a TV and film property. A dream-come-true, reportedly, for MacFarlane, a mega-saurus Flintstones fan.

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There was some concern from the Flintstone rights-holders regarding MacFarlane's raunchy tone and how the new Flintstones would be treated, but it seems like everything got smoothed out in the end. The new Flintstones will begin production in fall 2011 and will be set in stone on the FOX schedule in 2013"The very first cartoon character I drew at age two was Fred Flintstone," said MacFarlane. "So it's appropriate that events have come full circle, allowing me to produce the newest incarnation of this great franchise. Plus, I think America is finally ready for an animated sitcom about a fat, stupid guy with a wife who's too good for him."