Pee-wee Herman is Coming Back to the Big Screen

1 minute read

It’s official: Pee-wee Herman is coming back to theaters.

After years of speculation, comedian Paul Reubens confirmed Wednesday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that another Pee-wee Herman movie is in development. Judd Apatow will produce and a director has been hired, though Reubens did not say who that is.

The return of the much-loved man-child character comes more than 20 years after the release of Big Top Pee-wee in 1988, a sequel to the children’s classic Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Reubens briefly retreated from public view after he was arrested in an indecent-exposure scandal in 1991, but speculation about a new Pee-wee film has been rampant for years.

Reubens said production of the film will begin in February.

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com