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Published on Thursday, March 13, 2008 - 9:07am |
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FORGETTING MISS PIGGY?? A New Muppet Movie From FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL Folk Is On The Way!!
Merrick here...
There's a new Muppet movie on the way, from an unlikely duo.
Actor Jason Segel (CSI, FREAKS & GEEKS, and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL - which he also wrote) will script the new project alongside Nick Stoller (director of FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL). Stoller will also direct the new Muppet venture.
In "Sarah Marshall" Segel's character writes a "Dracula" musical performed by puppets. Those cloth creatures were custom-made by the Henson puppeteers, and the experience emboldened Segel to pitch his concept for a Muppets movie when he was invited in for a general meeting with exec Kristin Burr. Segel got a deal in the room and enlisted Stoller to co-write and direct the project.
...says THIS ARTICLE in Variety.
There aren't many details known at this time, but my son - currently 14 months old - has JUST fallen in deeply love with Muppets. By the time this hits theaters, he'll be old enough to go see it. In fact, this may be the first film he sees in theaters. I'm 100% stoked, and can't wait.
You can see the trailer for FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL HERE. The film releases April 18.
Hey, everyone. “Moriarty” here.
I just wanted to jump in on this one and add something.
This is f'ing awesome.
And let me tell you why.
Most of the time, I’m used to announcements of things involving the Muppets being crass money grabs these days.
But that’s not the case here. I can promise you that.
Last July, I was invited to Paramount Studios, where Stoller was wrapping up production on MARSHALL. I’d already visited these guys in Hawaii and at a shoot they did in the courtyard outside the Egyptian Theater, but they promised me that the shoot would be very different this time when I showed up.
Sure enough, when I was admitted to Paramount and made my way across the lot to where they were shooting, I was totally unprepared for the experience. I walked into the stage just before they locked it up for a new take, so I timed it just right. Claire, the unit publicist I met in Hawaii, spotted me and hustled me around the side of a set. All I could see what the outside of the set, so when she got me to the spot where she wanted me to stand, I was startled to find myself standing next to a mummy.
Actually, it wasn’t just a mummy, though. Have you ever seen those puppets where the hands and feet and shoulders are attached to the puppeteer by bars, so that when the puppeteer moves, the puppet mirrors that same move. You’ve seen those puppets where one guy makes a whole chorus line dance, right? Well, this was that same idea... but with mummies. I realized that the set that they’d built was actually the entire inside of a theater. It felt just like all the 99-seat theaters I’ve ever worked in, like a little shitbox you’d find on Hudson and Melrose here in LA or pretty much all over NYC. A tiny space to mount a play, and in this case, the play being performed was the Dracula musical written by Jason Segel’s character in the film. Bill Hader was also in the scene, also performing one of the puppets, and Jason and Bill were both onstage, clad in form-fitting black outfits that left very little to the imagination. I got there just in time to watch them run through the entire musical number that you’ll see in the film, and it was amazing how much energy it took to even bring the puppets to life for three minutes. Jason looked positively exhausted when I finally got a chance to say hello after a few takes, but he also looked happier than he had on any other day of production that I’d witnessed.
“Oh, god, you have no idea how much I love the Muppets,” he told me. And the reverence he expressed when he showed me the Dracula puppet that Henson’s workshop created for him and the joy I saw on his face, take after take over the next two days... there’s no doubt in my mind that Jason is the guy to do this, and he and Nick Stoller seem to have really clicked. I know how hard Nick’s worked to get MARSHALL just right, and I’m really curious to see how he builds from here. Doing a film like this, a no-shit Muppet movie, seems to indicate to me that he’s more about a great experience than he is about “playing the career game,” and that only makes me like him more.
I have no idea what sort of film they’re talking about making... maybe I’ll be able to get more more info out of them soon... but this sounds like it’s going to be worth paying attention to as the project comes into focus.

Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
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Reader Talkback
gay by Sailor Rip | Mar 13th, 2008 09:10:33 AM | Will it be like "Meet the
Feebles"? by tonagan | Mar 13th, 2008 09:11:48 AM | THIRD by Jonas Grumpy | Mar 13th, 2008 09:14:02 AM | "Meet the Feebles" is great. by slone13 | Mar 13th, 2008 09:15:14 AM | Only good Muppet movie... by Jonas Grumpy | Mar 13th, 2008 09:17:21 AM | I've seen Sarah Marshall.... by karishbhr | Mar 13th, 2008 09:20:34 AM | Yup by henrydalton | Mar 13th, 2008 09:21:08 AM | Best Muppet movie is... by Sailor Rip | Mar 13th, 2008 09:21:46 AM | speaking of puppets... by MC-909 | Mar 13th, 2008 09:22:59 AM | Jugband Christmas by Cereal Killa | Mar 13th, 2008 09:23:04 AM | the muppets by Gungan Slayer | Mar 13th, 2008 09:25:09 AM | damn edit button by Gungan Slayer | Mar 13th, 2008 09:26:14 AM | Riverbottom Nightmare Band! by Sailor Rip | Mar 13th, 2008 09:26:37 AM | They're not muppets you retard by ArcadianDS | Mar 13th, 2008 09:28:28 AM | It's gonna be hard to ad-lib
with muppets by Larry Sellers | Mar 13th, 2008 09:29:14 AM | Best Muppet Movie Is by bobinnova | Mar 13th, 2008 09:30:09 AM | No Henson, No Muppets by Nice Marmot | Mar 13th, 2008 09:44:39 AM | much love for the muppets by BigTexas42 | Mar 13th, 2008 09:51:53 AM | Wouldn't it be nice if this
would be... by DerLanghaarige | Mar 13th, 2008 10:02:09 AM | It could work... this guy
loves muppets by superduper3000 | Mar 13th, 2008 10:11:21 AM | It takes somethng pretty
serious by enoodle123 | Mar 13th, 2008 10:23:44 AM | Christmas Carol by Bloo | Mar 13th, 2008 10:28:24 AM | The Muppets vs. Rambo by santi01 | Mar 13th, 2008 10:29:53 AM | Muppets take Manhatten & the
Muppet Caper.. by JBouganim1 | Mar 13th, 2008 10:43:33 AM | ooo the muppet movie... by JBouganim1 | Mar 13th, 2008 10:44:13 AM | Trasure Island was horrible by Series7 | Mar 13th, 2008 10:53:51 AM | racist puppet horror comedy by MC-909 | Mar 13th, 2008 11:00:07 AM | Man Ivan Reitman by Series7 | Mar 13th, 2008 11:21:10 AM | hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiyee
eeeeeeeeeeeee--YAH!!!!!! by jimmy rabbitte | Mar 13th, 2008 11:31:30 AM | Forgetting Sarah Marshall is
not even out yet! by Emperor_was_a_jerk | Mar 13th, 2008 11:45:07 AM | the lovers, the dreamers, and
me by oisin5199 | Mar 13th, 2008 11:56:43 AM | I've gotten my 4-year old
niece hooked on Kermit and co. by Anna Valerious | Mar 13th, 2008 11:57:50 AM | Harold Ramis was not the voice
of Kermit the Frog by slone13 | Mar 13th, 2008 12:30:04 PM | slone13 by Series7 | Mar 13th, 2008 12:34:32 PM | And Yoda is Warmed-Over Grover by Jonas Grumpy | Mar 13th, 2008 12:43:44 PM | Forgetting Sarah Marshall was
fucking hilarious. by mefrog | Mar 13th, 2008 01:10:01 PM | Nectray is right. by Diagnostic | Mar 13th, 2008 01:19:17 PM | Miss Piggy lives for a Day by skywalkerfamily | Mar 13th, 2008 02:00:52 PM | "Die Die Die Die Die... I
Can't." by Bungion Boy | Mar 13th, 2008 02:30:47 PM | This could be genius in the
making by ED2D2 | Mar 13th, 2008 02:34:39 PM | Riverbottom Nightmare band was
hardcore by Hamtaro Hentai | Mar 13th, 2008 02:40:05 PM | Its awesome, let me tell you
why... by Tourist | Mar 13th, 2008 02:44:34 PM | I sure hope this is good by freydis | Mar 13th, 2008 02:46:21 PM | Yeah, might be risky for
someones career... by Tourist | Mar 13th, 2008 04:04:30 PM | Tourist... by TheRealMoriarty | Mar 13th, 2008 04:26:39 PM | What happened to that Muppet
Movie by hallmitchell | Mar 13th, 2008 04:34:03 PM | What happened to that Muppet
Movie by hallmitchell | Mar 13th, 2008 04:34:05 PM | I like the pitch by hallmitchell | Mar 13th, 2008 04:35:38 PM | The Great Muppet Caper is
classic. Love the intercut by CreasyBear | Mar 13th, 2008 04:48:21 PM | "Hard to ad-lib with
muppets"?? They did all the
time! by Flim Springfield | Mar 13th, 2008 05:19:56 PM | As gay as it sounds.... by JayWells87 | Mar 13th, 2008 05:32:17 PM | NecGray and HallMitchell... by TheRealMoriarty | Mar 13th, 2008 05:32:56 PM | I approve of this film by Pipple | Mar 13th, 2008 06:02:48 PM | Wait a sec- these are the
right guys? by Emperor_was_a_jerk | Mar 13th, 2008 06:17:38 PM | Where's the muppets?? by DiernaSoul | Mar 13th, 2008 06:51:45 PM | I loved Muppets From Space. by rbatty024 | Mar 13th, 2008 07:30:46 PM | Re: Substitute teaching. by rbatty024 | Mar 13th, 2008 07:34:55 PM | OH. MY. DAD. by bibble 3000 | Mar 13th, 2008 08:15:33 PM | Thinking about this now by Series7 | Mar 13th, 2008 08:39:26 PM | Jerry Juhl by darthvedder81 | Mar 13th, 2008 09:44:03 PM | Well ther by Larry of Arabia | Mar 13th, 2008 10:25:48 PM | Why does Muppet Caper rock?
Well... by Larry of Arabia | Mar 13th, 2008 10:31:15 PM | The Muppet Movie is one of my
all time favorites! by Bass Bastardson | Mar 14th, 2008 01:12:09 AM | Its connected to Marshall,
which is Apatow... by Tourist | Mar 14th, 2008 01:17:04 AM | the muppets smokje pot and
talk about wanking. by ironic_name | Mar 14th, 2008 05:30:58 AM | I think Miss Piggy needs to
get fucked in this one...GOOD by donwillymo | Mar 14th, 2008 09:22:30 AM | It's interesting to watch the
old Muppet movies... by rbatty024 | Mar 14th, 2008 11:09:03 AM | MINO, MINO, MINO..Flames on
Kermit by Reel American Hero | Mar 14th, 2008 12:43:41 PM | Fireproof, I hear ya. by rbatty024 | Mar 14th, 2008 01:50:42 PM | I'm gonna split hairs. by rbatty024 | Mar 14th, 2008 05:18:49 PM | Fireproof, I think you're
confusing quality with
profitability. by rbatty024 | Mar 15th, 2008 09:27:26 AM | Fair enough Fireproof. by rbatty024 | Mar 15th, 2008 12:26:40 PM | muppets by Staldo | Mar 15th, 2008 07:09:48 PM |
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