Cool News
The Henson Gang Looks Towards A Different Kind Of Muppet/Puppet/Thing With THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS!!
Merrick here...
The Henson Co. has nabbed a script called THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS. Brian & Lisa Henson will produce the project with Jason Lust. Brian's looking to direct.
Written by Todd Berger from a story by Dee Austin Robertson and Berger, the story takes place in a world where humans and puppets co-exist, with the puppets viewed as second-class citizens. When the puppet cast of an '80s children's TV show called "The Happytime Gang" begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet -- with a drinking problem, no less -- takes on the case.
...says THIS ARTICLE in Hollywood Reporter.
It's hard not to compare HAPPYTIME to WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (based on the synopsis above). But, since that film's sequel looks as if it'll never materialize, perhaps this'll do instead?
Readers Talkback
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I need me some more Muppet/Puppet/Thing movies. This sounds awesome.
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almost got it
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Sounds like fun tho
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watchmen?
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It's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" set in the "Greg the Bunny" universe. As unoriginal as they come. This should really be a Muppet movie, with an all-star cast, riffing on "Roger Rabbit." As it stands now, this is just a ripoff. Pity, because I respect the Henson Company, especially after shows like "Farscape," but Brian isn't his dad, try though he might. I do believe that Brian Henson is a bright guy, and has a lot of his father's gifts, but innovation doesn't really seem to be one of them. Seeing as the last several Muppet movies have tanked, both critically and financially, it's hard to see where Jim Henson's legacy will take the company. Maybe Brian would be smart to resurrect the Farscape franchise in the long-promised webisodes. Meh. Frell, indeed.
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Remember, the 'toons in Roger Rabbit weren't second-rate citizens. Eddie Valiant just had a thing against them. Betty Boop was slumming it in the club because she was a has-been. If anything, it sounds like this would be more along the lines of Alien Nation, where the aliens really WERE second-rate. Regardless, it's humans and puppets living together (...MASS HYSTERIA!). I dig the concept. Especially if it's kinda dark. That would rule. The last dark puppet movie I saw was Meet the Feebles, and Jesus was that fucked.
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This is just more milking by the great money monger known as Disney. They own the muppet rights now.
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happen to be a vampire as well? <p> Angel: The Puppet: The Movie!
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Hmm, perhaps a touch of Let My Puppets Come...?
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...when it was called Greg the Bunny or Avenue Q. Is there a reason Henson hasn't STILL moved forward with DC2 yet? Madness.
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Whatever happened to that Dark Crystal Sequel..???!!
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....with a darker storyline.
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"...he's yelling something about something called Smile Time?"
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If the hype is moderate enough, this could be a fun popcorn flick.
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sounds like puppet watchmen . . . wait, is that the greatest phrase ever? possibly
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I thought that too, except for the fact that the puppets are possessed by demons.
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This isn't Disney you stupid idiots. The famous Muppet characters were sold to Disney, but the Jim Henson Co. still exists to make things like this not involving Muppets.
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This sounds morbidly awesome.
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Was he not supposed to be writing the new Muppet movie? I was excited about that.
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I think this sounds like a funny idea, but I don't think Jim Henson would approve and shouldn't the company run by his beliefs?
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God, I need to see that movie again!
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Dressed up as the Jigsaw puppet no less.
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I love Meet The Feebles, thought I doubt that it will be that dirty and trashy. I don't think it will top it either. Though that plot sounds awesome, hopefully it Henson and Co. are going back to the darker days of the Company. Like that David Bowie movie.
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This sure as hell sounds like Roger Rabbit. Hollywood!!!! Don't keep ripping off awesome movies!!!! For this to even work... 1) The puppets have to be the Muppets. and 2) It would need to be done the same way New Nightmare was, where the Muppets and Henson et al played themselves. But would we really want to watch our beloved Muppets getting bumped off one by one? If its just a random bunch of new puppets then it will bomb. I would prefer Henson hang his nuts out there and create a new world like his father did with Dark Crystal. And get Jason Segal working on that Muppet movie of his. Lastly, Disney owns the Muppets. Henson Co. have nothing to do with them now. Over and Out.
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Oct. 15, 2008, 5:59 p.m. CST
Cool World meets The Muppets! Puppet sex? What would Uncle Georg
by Monkey_King
Let My Puppets Come, comes to mind as well when thinking about this film. This could be fun, if done right and with tons of fan service and more realistic puppets ala Farscape.
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Just like Donald Duck did in Roger Rabbit.
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Fuck... The Muppets sold out! Roger Rabbit indeed...
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That Bryan did. Kevin Smith's Pal? Where Gonzo becomes a " Batman" type figure. I would love to see that. And the one the guys from Sarah Marshall did to. I will go and see that to. Muppets are a great universe. They have been too quiet. Who knows maybe John Lasseter has something to do with it.
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This sounds like one kick-arse premise. If they could somehow ramp up the tone to a Meet the Feebles kind of intensity it would be even better but I doubt Henson Studios would take that chance.
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The script by Brian Lynch was called The Next Muppet Movie. Apparently there was also a script called Muppets Haunted Hotel by someone else. So there are a few scipts in the vault there at Jim Henson company.
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I don't want to see that type of thing in the muppet universe. It would wreck the innocence. I'm sure even Peter Jackson wouldn't want the muppets to take that avenue.
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Behind the scenes of a puppet show. That was the Muppets. They just had more swears on Greg, ooo, edgy! Anyway, the Liza Minelli episode of The Muppet Show was a murder mystery. Statler and Waldorf did it.
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it was just subtle
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So it's Who Framed Roger Rabbit meets Greg the Bunny meets the Angel episode Smile Time...and Brian Henson of Farscape (and, well Henson) fame is directing it. Freakin' sweet!
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Hubba Hubba.
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I don't know if you've watched Muppet Show episodes lately or watched the DVDs of the show, but Jim Henson was a subversive dude. I don't think he'd have any problem with this idea. People have a strange misconception that Jim Henson was all rainbows and lollipops because of Sesame Street and the family-friendly Muppet Show. But he appreciated darker material. Watch his short films and you'll see some of what I'm talking about. And don't forget, this is Brian's project. Jim was always VERY supportive of his children.
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So I guess whenever anyone decides to use Henson-esque puppets in a non-family-friendly manner it's either Greg the Bunny, Avenue Q, or the Angel episode. I suppose that Meet the Feebles was precognitively ripping off Avenue Q? Where's Fireproof in all this? Doesn't he have some anti-Henson naysaying bullshit rhetoric to spout?
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Seriously, has no one ever heard of Avenue Q before?
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Avenue Q was the heavily watered down, psuedo-edgy, square friendly version.
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Read it. Fairly similar idea to this.
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Wonder Showzen, while it has its moments, is a giant ball of fucking incomprehensible garbage. Those moments of which I speak are hilarious and beyond Avenue Q, I'll grant you, but I never watched Avenue Q and said to myself, "What the fuck?" I also never wanted to kick the makers of Avenue Q in the teeth for an idiot stunt display of assholery like SOOOOOOOO many sketches on WS. WS is the mentally deficient kid brother of Tim and Eric, who are themselves the mentally deficient kid brothers of Space Ghost. Each brother is dumber than the last.
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Surely there could be a better reason to have live muppets interacting with people... like if the main character was a kids show puppeteer and he was going through a mental breakdown as he goes through a bitter divorce with his wife... C'mon, anything's better than a straight-up rip-off of Roger Rabbit.
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I have no problem with that. Although we could really use a Roger Rabbit sequel.
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something that isn't superbland and corporate-friendly.
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You want it. I want it. Let's make it happen, Hollywood.
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I'm there.
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If they can work Puppet Angel in, we might have something.
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Wow, I didn't think movies like this got made any more. This just jumped right to the top of my most anticipated list.
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Was a bit like this, I recommend everyone check it out, it was epic and hysterically funny pisstake of the muppets.
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Remember Acme telling Valiant that the Ink & Paint Club was "strictly humans only"? May I call you "The"?
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with a touch of Meet the Feebles? I really don't care since Dark Crystal II got canceled. Brian Froud, Trevor Jones, and Gendy Tartakovsky were all good to go for fuck sake!!! What hollywood assnugget said no to that? Why can't they just do another Muppet movie. It's way over due and Muppets in Space and Muppet Christmas Carol where pretty decent concidering.
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You'd think that the Henson folks would take the time to consider OTHRER folks' work before they jump in on something like this. Unless, of course, they feel that this sort of "puppets as second-class citizens" thing hasn't been explored enough. But frankly, I think it has. GtheB did it well and did it with some kick-ass humor. I never really found "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" engaging. I can't imagine I'd find this any moreso... and I'm a puppet fanatic.
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