The Muppets (2011)

[jra166psu]

An update on Segal's intentions with the Muppets, I'm excited:

Segel recently chatted with MTV about the direction he plans to take with the film:

“I’ve just grown a little disappointed with ‘Muppets in the Old West,’ ‘Muppets Under Water,’ and all these weird concept movies. I just want to go take it back to the early 80’s, when it was about the Muppets trying to put on a show. That’s what I’m trying to bring back,” said Segel, who also wants to bring back the big name cameos of the earlier films. “All of our friends that I’ve brought it up to are pretty excited by the prospect of it. Everyone loves the Muppets; they’ve got a warm place in most people’s hearts. We want a lot of cameos. You look back at Charles Grodin, Charles Durning, there were just such great performances in those movies.” “We’ve got a great plot. I think if we can execute it right, it will be terrific. But I can’t tell you more - it’s top secret.”

Segel also weighed in on his opinion of Kermit the Frog:

“I remember thinking that Kermit was the original Tom Hanks - he was the everyman for a kid. I remember watching Kermit and thinking ‘That’s what I want to do when I grow up.’ I don’t think I realized he was a puppet.”

All this via Slash Film, who also have some excellent points on Segel and the script.

I still think that Segel’s the perfect writer for this movie. The key to what made the Muppets so cool was how they were written and geared for adults, rather than children. Do you have any favorite Muppet moments?

[roswellian]

I hope they put out "Muppets Tonight".

[SpringHeelJack]

A+. I love Jason Segal, I can't wait to see what he'll do with the Muppets.

[slave2moonlight]

Well, I'm going to let my expectations get raised a bit, but I still am nervous. After all, the Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie was also, somewhat, about trying to put on a show, ha. And, like I said before, their best movie, in my opinion, was "Great Muppet Caper", which was about a jewel heist, ha. Though, in the opening they make it clear that it is a show they're putting on for you. Man, I still need to buy that one!

My favorite Muppet moments have always been when they are shown with the Sesame Street gang (which I guess we might not get to see on DVD anymore since Disney bought the Muppets), like in the wedding scene of Muppets Take Manhattan and in A Muppet Family Christmas, which is still one of the best Christmas Specials ever made! And, my little sis and I have all these fave moments from Muppet Caper, especially having to do with Grodin. I love to impersonate him saying, "Whaddaya want me to do about it, I got ketchup all over my cumberbun." And love when he and Kermit are singing about Miss Piggy during the fashion show. My sister LOVES the scene in the park when Kermit and Piggy are arguing and slip out of character. "I know all about your career, pig!"

[Dottie]

I think the only think we can do is wait for the movie and more info.
I'm hoping for the best.
I am kinda ashamed though to admit that I've never seen one entire Muppet movie

[jra166psu]

and with that last request, MORE INFO!

03 April 2008
Exclusive: More Muppet Movie Details
Jason Segel says it's going global

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Muppets are coming back (yay!), this we know. This past weekend, we caught up with Jason Segel, who'll be co-writing the new movie, about what to expect from the glorious return. CHUD revealed earlier this week that the movie will concern the felt-based gang trying to save The Muppet Show from evil types who wish to bring about it's end, but Segel also had a few more details to share.

"It's a classic story," he says. "It's the Muppets needing to get back together to save the show...It's going to take place all over the world. Basically, the Muppets are no longer together. So that might take a while to film. I guess they've set the precedent in that last movie (Muppets From Space) that Gonzo is, in fact, an alien, so he could well end up in space. That guy's all over the place!"

Segel says that he's "about halfway through writing the script with Nick (Stoller)" and that he's already hoping to get some of his buddies into the cast.

"I'm hoping there'll be cameos from our group of people (Segel is a part of the ever-growing Judd Apatow collective, who produced his new film Forgetting Sarah Marshall)," he continues. "I think that might be what makes it work. It's not going to be raunchy like our movies though! Every time I bring it up with somebody - Mila Kunis, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen – they say, 'Oh my god, you're writing me a part'. So I don't think there'll be trouble casting. I would love to star in it myself. I think that's the plan, but right now it's just a script deal".

We really like the idea of the Muppets being spread across the globe in their later days. There are hints of Muppets Take Manhattan to it, but this sounds a lot bigger, almost the flipside to what happened in that movie. There's a lot of scope in the idea – it's easy to imagine Kermit back in his swamp; Piggy as a fading star; Fozzie as a Rupert Pupkin-esque failing comic.

[slave2moonlight]

Hmm. Yeah, the similarity to Muppets Take Manhattan was the first thing that came to mind to me also. I don't know. I'd like to see a more original plot than the old "Let's get the band back together" story that Country Bears already copied from Blues Brothers. Plus, they're pointing out the fact that the Muppets have faded out, which might not work for giving them a true come back. I'll reserve judgement because I'm always psyched and hopeful for a new Muppet movie, but I wish it was a more original plot and less focused on the Muppets being the Muppets. Just because the movie is partially trying to restore their former glory doesn't mean that should be what the plot is about.

[blackcauldron85]

http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=co ... &Itemid=99

(via www.animated-news.com):

The article/interview doesn't really say too much about the film, but at least it's a little something new about the new Muppets film.

[AwallaceUNC]

Jason Segal (star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and "Freaks and Geeks") is writing the script for an upcoming Muppets movie. Segal provided a few details about the project in a recent interview. I'll post the relevant portions of that interview here:

While on the set of I LOVE YOU MAN actor/scribe Jason Segel talked about his script for the upcoming MUPPET MOVIE, including the premise…

Jason- “we are trying to bring it back to the early '80s movies where it's not Muppets in the Sahara or Muppets Underwater. It's the Muppets getting back together to put on a show, to save the studio.”

…who’s involved….

Jason- “Sam the Eagle is definitely in it. Statler and Waldorf - the whole gang!”

…how he could neither confirm nor deny the involvement of interstellar swine…

Jason (SMILING HUGE)- “I can't give that away.”

… and a possible Cahrles Grodin cameo!

Jason- “a brief cameo. We'll see if he wants to do it. There are some great cameos in there.”

Segel had more to say about Muppets, JUDD APATOW, and his role in I LOVE YOU MAN.

Question: So is Kermit going to have mojo in the MUPPETS film?

Jason Segel: Let me tell you, anyone who can walk around in life completely naked all the time has got to have some mojo. But, I actually just turned in my first draft of the MUPPETS and I'm really excited about it. I think we're bringing them back.

Question: Is Sam the Eagle in it?

Jason Segel: Sam the Eagle is definitely in it. Statler and Waldorf - the whole gang!

Question: Have you talked to Kermit?

Jason Segel: No, I haven't.

Question: We interviewed him last week and he was surprised there was a movie coming out, he didn't know.

Jason Segel: Really? We're keeping it under wraps. (laughter)

Question: Can you tell us a little bit about the story, which way you are headed with the MUPPETS?

Jason Segel: All I can say is that we are trying to bring it back to the early '80s movies where it's not Muppets in the Sahara or Muppets Underwater. It's the Muppets getting back together to put on a show, to save the studio.

Question: No Pigs in Space?

Jason Segel: I can't give that away.

Question: Have you contacted Paul Williams about doing the music?

Jason Segel: No, we're still just doing the script at the moment so as soon as that gets in shape we'll hopefully get it going.

Question: Do you think you will try to get Paul Williams back?

Jason Segel: Oh yeah, absolutely. Those songs were the best. We've written temp songs but we'd like to fill them in with legitimate musician songs.

Question: Do you think you are going to be involved at all in Judd's [Apatow] new stand up movie that they're now starting to talk about?

Jason Segel: I don't think I am because I am limited by my TV show, I get to do one movie a year basically, so, this is it. Nick [Stoller] and I have another movie with Judd called THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT that we're trying to scrape together now.

Question: So, you think that will be next off-season?

Jason Segel: Either that or the MUPPETS, or both, who knows. We'll see what happens.

Question: And the hope is to stay 100% traditional with the Muppets right?

Jason Segel: Oh yeah, absolutely.

Question: No CGI Muppets or some horse!@#$.

Jason Segel: No, no, no. Hopefully it will fall right in the pantheon of The Great Muppet Caper, Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppet Movie, you know, we're trying to make one of those.

Question: You said you had written something for Charles Grodin?

Jason Segel: Yeah, a brief cameo. We'll see if he wants to do it. There are some great cameos in there.

Question: What your favorite original Muppets episode?

Jason Segel: There's a Muppets episode where Peter Sellers sings Whiskey Wine and Wild Women that is just - Peter Sellers on the Muppet show, I remember even as a kid, it was the coolest thing ever. That's my favorite.

Question: Thought you were gonna say Alice Cooper.

Jason Segel: No, you don't know me very well. (laughter) How dare you! God!

Here's the complete article: http://www.collider.com/entertainment/i ... 117/tcid/1

-Aaron

[PeterPanfan]

That is so great!

Thanks for the news, Aaron!

[gregmasciola]

Question: No CGI Muppets or some horse!@#$.

Jason Segel: No, no, no. Hopefully it will fall right in the pantheon of The Great Muppet Caper, Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppet Movie, you know, we're trying to make one of those.

That's good. CGI effects should never be used in a Muppet Movie.

[Dottie]

Sounds good to me! I hope the new movie stays true to the spirit of the original Muppet Show and I certainly wouldn't mind having a few nice cameos.
I only hope filming is not gonna take place at the same time as filming for the Fraggle Rock movie does as Steve Whitmire will have to be in both movies seeing that he is the puppeteer of both Wembley Fraggle and Kermit (+Rizzo the Rat).
But I think the Fraggle Rock Movie is already in production and the script of the Muppet Movie isn't even finished yet, so I don't suppose there are going to be any scheduling conflicts.

[rougescrooge]

Which further makes you wonder how things might have been had the original 1990 merger gone through as planned; then we could conceivably combine both projects somehow (any thoughts here?).

Back in the present, speaking of cameos, do you suppose they'll be able to get some of the surviving Muppeteers to drop in as well? It would be a nice touch seeing Frank Oz and/or Jerry Nelson on camera even if they're no longer performing.

[Dottie]

I guess Frank Oz won't miss the opportunity to make a cameo if he is asked to appear and Jerry Nelson is rumored to return as Gobo on Fraggle Rock but only as Gobo's voice. I think he wouldn't mind having a little part in the Muppet Movie as well, or perhaps he could just voice some of the characters

[PeterPanfan]

I really think they should have a musical theatre person cameo.

Like, Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LuPone, or somebody like that. It just feels right in a Muppet movie.

I also am disgusted that the High School Musical 2: 2 Disc DVD thread has more replies than this...

[Kram Nebuer]

Woohoo!! I'm super excited for another Muppet Movie with the Muppets as themselves! The Christmas Carol and Treasure Island were great fun, but Muppets in Space and the Christmas Special was a lot of fun since it was the Muppets being their goofy selves. My only hope is that Pepe doesn't get a huge part of the story. He's a clever little thing, but he gets annoying sometimes. I hope Bean Bunny is there, he's my favorite!

Do you think they'll get the original voices for some of the Muppets? I remember watching Statler and Waldorf's hilarious web show where they would give current movie reviews, but after several episodes, their voices changed! I read that they were trying to phase in new actors. I hope they get the original voices for this movie for one last time.

If this Muppet movie is successful and with the success of Avenue Q, I wonder if Disney will decide to produce Avenue Q writers Jeff Marx and Bobby Lopez's Muppet version of Hamlet - Kermit, Prince of Denmark. I was reading in the Avenue Q book that that was their first project in a theater workshop and they even sent it to the Henson company and were turned down.

[SpaceAce]

I hope this is good. I hope it's more like The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppet Movie. I liked Muppet Treasure Island a lot, but thats probably because of Tim Curry.

Do you think they'll get the original voices for some of the Muppets? I remember watching Statler and Waldorf's hilarious web show where they would give current movie reviews, but after several episodes, their voices changed! I read that they were trying to phase in new actors. I hope they get the original voices for this movie for one last time.

Would be hard to get Statler and Waldorf's original voices for this movie. Both Richard Hunt and Jim Henson are dead.

[Dottie]

But still, Statler and Waldorf still sound pretty much the same if you hear them nowadays in new sketches and on the Muppet DVD menus, which I think is because of the amazing talent of Goelz who still voices Waldorf from time to time and Whitmire who voices Statler, so I guess to create Muppets that sound "right" in the movie those two would certainly agree to provide the voices to not let fans down.
I hope the producers will try everything to make it right.

Kram: I love the idea of the Avenue Q team's Hamlet-Kermit, Prince of Demark finally realized. I'd even be happy with a movie version of Avenue Q (including Gary Coleman of course)

[rexcrk]

Question: No CGI Muppets or some horse!@#$.

Jason Segel: No, no, no. Hopefully it will fall right in the pantheon of The Great Muppet Caper, Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppet Movie, you know, we're trying to make one of those.

That's good. CGI effects should never be used in a Muppet Movie.

Tell me about it.... I'm hoping that it was attrociously used in Muppets' Wizard of Oz to show how lame the Wizard was >_>

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

Nice to finally see Disney doing something with Muppets.