Entertainment TV LeVar Burton Tapped to Host and Produce a New Show Based on 'Beloved' Game Trivial Pursuit The Reading Rainbow star was one of several celebrities considered to replace Alex Trebek on Jeopardy! following his death in November 2020 By Abigail Adams Abigail Adams Instagram Twitter Digital News Writer, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 17, 2021 10:52 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Clifton Prescod/CBS via Getty LeVar Burton is returning to the game show scene! The 64-year-old actor's entertainment company has inked a deal with Hasbro's content studio Entertainment One to produce a game show based on the classic game Trivial Pursuit. "Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe," Burton said in a statement released by eOne Tuesday. "I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television." Tara Long, President of Global Unscripted Television at eOne, said the company is looking forward to working with Burton as "an iconic member of American pop culture." Ian Tuttle/Getty LeVar Burton Says He Realized the Jeopardy! Hosting Gig 'Wasn't the Thing' He Wanted 'After All' "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," Long said in the statement. Burton was previously in the running to take over for Alex Trebek on Jeopardy! after the famed game-show host died in November 2020. Later that fall, nearly 300,000 of the Reading Rainbow star's supporters signed a petition on Change.org requesting he be named host of the popular game show. Jeopardy! producer Mike Richards was originally named as the permanent host in August but stepped down amid a series of scandals. Mayim Bialik and Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings are splitting hosting duties for the remainder of season 38. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty LeVar Burton Immortalized with Figurine Designed to Encourage Kids to Read During an appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah in September, Burton explained why missing out on the Jeopardy! gig wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "The crazy thing is 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," he said. Burton later said that he "couldn't have dreamt it up" the opportunities he received as a result of not hosting Jeopardy! before hinting at hosting another game show. Emily Berl for The Washington Post via Getty Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "The thing is, I never thought about hosting any other game show outside of Jeopardy!" the Roots star confessed. "But now, having that they went in a different direction with their show, which is their right, and now I'm thinking, well, it does kind of make sense. Let me see what I can do." The Trivial Pursuit series is the latest Hasbro product-based show to be developed by eOne for film or television. The Hasbro content studio is also working on shows based on Clue and Risk and a Dungeons & Dragons film. A timeline was not announced regarding a release date for the new project.