Here’s your very first glimpse into the first Muppets movie made for the big screen in eleven long years. Take it all in…
Now let’s talk deets. James Bobin (of Flight of the Conchords fame) is set to direct and Jason Segel (I Love You, Man, How I Met Your Mother) will executive produce, write (with Nicholas Stoller), and star in the film. Segel happens to be a big fan of Jim Henson and his furry creations. “We’ve worked really hard to stay true to the original spirit of the Muppets,” said Segel. “We’ve missed the same thing everyone else has been missing.” Here’s a leaked synopsis:
The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time is about Gary, Mary, and Walter (a man, his girlfriend, and the man’s life-long nondescript, brown puppet best friend) getting the old Muppet gang — now retired entertainers known for the same Muppet show we know them from — together to save the TV studio that the original show was shot in. A villain, Tex Richman (nice name, on par with Doc Hopper), bent on drilling for oil underneath the studio, is due to take over the studio in weeks and the only way to stop him? Putting on a show that draws ten million viewers.
Segel will star as the human lead Gary, Amy Adams is Mary, and Walter–who happens to be a brand new Muppet addition–will be voiced by Paul Rudd. (FYI, Walter is the iPhone-wielding Muppet in the image above.) Tex the antagonist will be voiced by Chris Cooper. Rashida Jones is locked in, too. Beyond that almost all the other information surrounding this movie is pure speculation. But let’s add to that conversation! Other potential guest voices include: Kristen Schaal, Jack Black, Donald Glover, Jane Lynch, Danny Trejo, Zach Galifianakis, and Lady Gaga. And guess who’s rumored to play Gaga’s entourage? John Krasinski (The Office), Ed Helms (The Hangover), and Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family). Yeah. This might just turn out to be the greatest Muppet movie of all time after all.
Production started in September, and Disney plans to release it wide Christmas 2011.
[Via EW; CinemaBlend; TheFilmStage]