After ending his pursuit to be the next host of Jeopardy , LeVar Burton has just snagged a new gig as the next master of ceremonies for Hasbro and Entertainment One’s television gameshow adaptation of Trivial Pursuit.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Reading Rainbow host will also be stepping on to executive produce the series. When the president of global unscripted television at eOne, Tara Long, spoke about Burton, she said that working with him on the new show was a no-brainer.
“LeVar Burton has been an iconic member of American pop culture for decades from Roots to Reading Rainbow to Star Trek and beyond,” Long said. “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.”
Burton also shared his excitement to team up with the companies to bring this classic family game to life on television.
“Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe,” he explained. “I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television.”
When talking to Trevor Noah on The Daily Show back in September, Burton explained why he decided to step away from pursuing the Jeopardy spot.
“The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something…they say be careful of what you wish for, because what I found out is that it wasn’t the thing that I wanted after all,” Burton told Noah. “What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, right, but then, when I didn’t get it, it was, like ‘Well, okay, what’s next?’”
However, later on, he said that the quest to get that job opened new doors for him. It can only be assumed that this new spot as host for Trivial Pursuit might have been one of those opportunities.
