The Muppets…Again!, currently shooting in London and due in theaters March 21, 2014, finds the Muppet repertory company enjoying a triumphant world tour, only to become tangled up with a criminal mastermind named Constantine, who is out to steal an enormous diamond—and who happens to be a dead
Ray Liotta, who played a gate guard in 1999′s “Muppets From Space,” has been cast in Disney’s sequel to “The Muppets.” Original helmer James Bobin returns to direct from a script he co-wrote with Nicholas Stoller. European-set caper will feature new human stars including Tina
“The Muppets 2″ is now dated for March 21, 2014, Disney announced Jan. 14 To make room for their second outing, the studio has also bumped Angelina Jolie’s “Maleficent” from the same date, to July 2, 2014. Disney also confirmed that Ricky Gervais has signed on to star alongside Ty Burrell in the
As the series finale of 30 Rock looms closer, creator/star Tina Fey may be signing onto to new film, the sequel to “The Muppets.” Heat Vision reports Tuesday that Fey is in late-stage negotiations to star as the female lead in the upcoming sequel to The Muppets alongside Ricky Gervais. Ty Burrell is
The man who voices Sesame Street’s popular character Elmo is denying he had gay sex with a minor, as Sesame Street honchos try to assure fans that the high-pitched puppet is “bigger than one man.” Kevin Clash has taken a leave of absence from Sesame
The Muppets…Again!, currently shooting in London and due in theaters March 21, 2014, finds the Muppet repertory company enjoying a triumphant world tour, only to become tangled up with a criminal mastermind named Constantine, who is out to steal an enormous diamond—and who happens to be a dead ringer for Kermit.
“I always loved those classic jewel-heist capers from the ’60s and ’70s, so I was very keen to do a movie that had elements of that [genre] featuring the Muppets and comedy and songs,” says returning director James Bobin, who co-wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The success of The Muppets put you guys back in the limelight for the first time in years. How did you celebrate?
Kermit the Frog: Well, we hadn’t done a big movie in a long, long time, so really just seeing the guys everyday was celebration enough. Because, you know, when we’re not working, we go and do our separate things. We don’t live in a big house or anything. I don’t really spend a lot of time in Hollywood. I go back to the swamp. Piggy usually won’t come to the swamp with me—she just goes off with my credit card and I don’t see her for months. It’s very strange.
You’re the ringleader. Did you need to convince any of the other Muppets to come back and do the sequel?
I think everyone was pretty happy to do it. But, you know, Fozzie has been hibernating—it’s been tough to bring him to London this time of year and keep him awake. And the Dr. Teeth Band had to cancel a couple of engagements. They were playing at this little bar in Hoboken and they let that go just to come to London to do the movie.
The Muppets obviously have a lot of history in London because that’s where you filmed The Muppet Show back in the day.
That’s true, we have lots of old friends here. I know plenty of frogs here. And I’ve met the queen. She doesn’t know I’m in town yet but I plan to go see her. I try to stay close to the royalty. There’s always that outside chance I could get turned into a prince, you see. Pretty important stuff for a frog.
“Muppets…Again” will be the official titled of the sequel to “The Muppets.”
Producer Todd Lieberman has provided IAR with an exclusive update on the production, which is underway in Europe as you read.
Principal photography kicked off this month in London, and Lieberman was exceedingly positive about the process, saying, “It’s going great. I’m very superstitious and I’m knocking on wood. Yes, we have started. It’s going really well. There are tons of laughs. I’m really happy with where we are on this one. I hope it’s embraced.”
“I’m pretty proud of what we’ve put together on this one,” he added.
The sequel is more influenced by 1981′s The Great Muppet Caper. The story finds our Muppet heroes traipsing across Europe as part of a triumphant world tour, only to get mixed up with Constantine, a jewel thief who happens to look just like Kermit the Frog. Asked about the story, Lieberman replied, “There is a caper element to it, yeah. It’s kind of, you know with the first one we did a lot of kind of honoring what the Muppets were in the late Seventies early Eighties and then essentially the story was getting the gang back together, in this one because we’ve set our foundation this one is lets just go have some fun. So I think it’s going to be a pretty good ride.”
Lieberman confirmed that Bobin’s Flight of the Conchords co-creator is also back, saying, “Yeah, we’ve got a really great group of people for this one and Bret McKenzie is back for songs. James Bobin is back directing. So it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“Yeah, oh yeah, there will be a great array of songs,” the producer said, clarifying that the caper plot won’t exclude musical numbers.
“He is an Oscar-winner,” Lieberman said of McKenzie, whose “Man or Muppet” won the Original Song Academy Award last year. “How ’bout that? That’s pretty amazing isn’t it? That was really fun. I brought my mom to the ceremony and she had a blast.”
The Muppets introduced a new Muppet character, the idealistic and passionate Walter. Voiced by Peter Linz, Walter found himself joining the gang over the course of the film. “Walter is back,” Lieberman said enthusiastically. “We landed Walter! We signed him. Walter is in!”
The Muppets…Again!l, having targeted a Spring 2014 release date.
Ray Liotta, who played a gate guard in 1999′s “Muppets From Space,” has been cast in Disney’s sequel to “The Muppets.”
Original helmer James Bobin returns to direct from a script he co-wrote with Nicholas Stoller.
European-set caper will feature new human stars including Tina Fey as a Russian gulag prison guard, Ty Burrell as a lazy Interpol inspector and Ricky Gervais.
Liotta’s role is being kept under wraps.
David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing for Mandeville, and production starts in London this month.
Liotta made a cameo appearance in Muppets From Space, playing the security guard at C.O.V.N.E.T. who refuses to let Miss Piggy through. Piggy is forced to use Muppet Labs Mind Mist on the guard to gain entrance.
“The Muppets 2″ is now dated for March 21, 2014, Disney announced Jan. 14
To make room for their second outing, the studio has also bumped Angelina Jolie’s “Maleficent” from the same date, to July 2, 2014.
Disney also confirmed that Ricky Gervais has signed on to star alongside Ty Burrell in the upcoming sequel to the 2011 film.
The film will be produced by Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman and directed by James Bobin. The screenplay is by Bobin and Nick Stoller, who will also serve as executive producer.
As the series finale of 30 Rock looms closer, creator/star Tina Fey may be signing onto to new film, the sequel to “The Muppets.”
Heat Vision reports Tuesday that Fey is in late-stage negotiations to star as the female lead in the upcoming sequel to The Muppets alongside Ricky Gervais.
Ty Burrell is set to star as the film’s villain, a lazy Interpol inspector, and Fey will apparently be playing a Russian gulag prison guard in the Europe-set follow-up.
The prison and law-breaking talk, it sure sounds like our Muppet friends may find themselves behind bars at some point in the film. Production is set to begin later this month in London with returning director James Bobin, who also co-wrote the script alongside The Muppets scribe Nicholas Stoller.
Comedian Ricky Gervais is in negotiations to star in The Muppets sequel as the Disney movie’s human lead character, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
The follow-up movie to the 2011 hit, which starts production in January, is a European-centric adventure. And while the film will be populated by a slew of cameos, there are three main human roles. THR reported Dec. 7 that Ty Burrell, one of the stars of ABC’s Modern Family, is on board as a lazy Interpol inspector.
Ty Burrell, one of the stars of ABC’s Modern Family, is set to join the cast of Disney’s sequel to The Muppets as one of the movie’s human stars, reports THR.
Christoph Waltz was in talks for the role, but the Austrian actor’s schedule prevented the studio from making a deal.
James Bobin, who directed the 2011 Muppets film, is returning to helm the follow-up and co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Stoller.
The adventure moves from Hollywood to Europe, and while the film is expected to have a slew of cameos — as is the Muppets’ movie tradition — one of the key roles is an Interpol inspector, whom Burrell will portray. (Another notable character is a Russian femme fatale.)
Frank Oz, who has voiced such Muppets as Bert, Cookie Monster, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Grover, appeared on the Comedy Central talk show to promote the Blu-ray release of Little Shop of Horrors,which he directed. What Oz had to do was address whether Muppets have sex.
Stephen Colbert didn’t seem interested in proceeding without getting the famous puppeteer to answer the question.
He first asked whether Muppets — specifically, those like Animal, a drummer in a rock band — have “groupies.” Oz then pressed him on what he was really asking.
“Muppet sex,” Colbert clarified, to which Oz replied: “You actually said it.”
“I insinuated, and you extenuated,” Colbert quipped. “You made me be explicit.”
He then asked outright: “Do Muppets have sex?” Oz was still flabbergasted: “What?!”
“How do you get new Muppets, is all I’m asking?” Colbert pressed.
Oz finally gave, well, as best an answer as he could.
“I have performed with the Muppets for many years,” he said. “And when I did, I didn’t make the characters. Many people who are tremendously talented at the workshop make the characters. I can’t tell you what actually happens there, but it’s all done in the workshop.”
Later during the interview, Colbert returned to the Muppets again.
“Bert and Ernie — that’s a straight situation, right?” he asked.
Oz’s reply? “Um hmm,” he said while nodding.
The man who voices Sesame Street’s popular character Elmo is denying he had gay sex with a minor, as Sesame Street honchos try to assure fans that the high-pitched puppet is “bigger than one man.”
Kevin Clash has taken a leave of absence from Sesame Street Workshop to defend himself from allegations he had a a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy, according to a report by TMZ
The accuser, now 23, says he and Clash engaged in sexual acts when he was 16 and Clash was 45.
Clash admitted to TMZ he and the individual had sex, but only after he was above the age of consent.
“I had a relationship with [the accuser],” Clash said. “It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not.”
The popular children’s show acknowledged the relationship and their involvement in the investigation.
“In June of this year, Sesame Workshop received a communication from a young man who alleged that he had a relationship with Kevin Clash beginning when he was 16-years-old,” a rep for Sesame Street said in statement. “This was a personal relationship, unrelated to the workplace. We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action.”
“We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action,” Sesame Workshop said in the statement. “We met with the accuser twice and had repeated communications with him. We met with Kevin, who denied the accusation. We also conducted a thorough investigation and found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated.”
While the show’s probe was unable to find proof that Clash had engaged in a relationship with the accuser while he was a minor, it did find evidence that the man behind one of the most beloved children’s television characters had engaged in inappropriate behavior against company standards.
“Although this was a personal relationship unrelated to the workplace, our investigation did reveal that Kevin exercised poor judgment and violated company policy regarding internet usage and he was disciplined,” Sesame Workshop said.
The “Django Unchained” actor, Christolph Waltz, will play an Interpol inspector in the Europe-set sequel to the 2011 hit.
THR reported the exclusive news first, Waltz, the Academy Award-winning Inglourious Basterds star who will next appear in Quentin Tarantino‘s holiday release Django Unchained, would play an Interpol inspector in the Europe-set comedy.
The Muppets, released in 2011 as a relaunch of the long-running Jim Henson-created franchise, was co-written by Jason Segal – who also starred in the film — and grossed $158 million worldwide.
Segal is not returning for the sequel.
The upcoming sequel will bring back James Bobin to the directing seat. Bobin will also co-write the script along with Nicholas Stoller.
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