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dwmckim
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Submitted the following as an editorial to the main site and also to the muppetcast mailbox...but if neither ends up using it, and least it will be here for everyone to read and comment on:
Some thoughts on the announcement of Disney's greenlighting a Muppet movie written by actor/writer Jason Segal and directed by writer/director Nick Stoller.
This is something i'm watching news on with great interest because this is really the first major new Muppet project that Disney had given the official go-ahead since it acquired the Muppets (The Muppets' Wizard of Oz was already being worked on before the purchase and most major news has been along the lines of releases of old material.)
My initial reaction when the news first broke was that i was thrilled that Disney had finally committed to bringing the Muppets back to the big screen but also was adopting a "wait-and-see" approach since this would be both written and directed by people who had never worked with the Muppets before. As much as they may indeed understand and love the characters, i would hope that there was still some input and collaboration with members of the official creative team like Jim Lewis, Kirk Thatcher, Joey Mazzarino, or Bill Baretta, just to name a few among many.
One of the latest details to emerge is that "the plot is rumored to feature the Muppets reuniting in order to put on a big show. After learning that the Muppets have drifted apart, audiences will follow Kermit as he works to bring the group back together to help save an old beloved theater. Apparently the theater is being threatened by an evil character looking to tear the theater down in order to get at a reserve of oil underneath."
I find this interesting since this is a very similar idea to another film script (also by outside writers) purchased by Henson several years ago and seriously being considered called "The Next Muppet Movie" and also the subject of a pitch tape for a new Muppet series developed and submitted by the official Muppet staff within the last year.
It seems like this is a very popular concept that both longtime and outside writers keep coming back to and seriously trying to produce. If i was in a major management position within the Muppets team, i would first brief Segal and Stoller on the other earlier projects, giving them copies of the script to "The Next Muppet Movie", a look at the recent pitch tape and be sure they know a lot of the history and ideas that had come before surrounding this project, perhaps being able to merge the best elements of each into a whole. Second, i would make also be sure that each person was working with an assistant from the longtime staff - Segal working closely with Lewis and Shemin for example and Stoller with Thatcher or Baretta to be sure that consistency is maintained with regards to Muppet style, tone and continuity with the Muppet world. Fresh blood may indeed infuse new life into the Muppets and Segal/Stoller's involvement may be good pr and buzz for getting more attention on the next Muppet film but they can't just be given free reign with the keys to the Muppetmobile - they need the guidance of the veterans to insure the legacy and that the final cut lives up to the 50 year history.
Being that the last Muppet film that was released to theaters was Muppets From Space, i'm kind of surprising myself that i'm suggesting that since one of the things that held back Muppets From Space from being the great film it had the potential to be to a bit of an uneven mishmosh was the input of too many cooks spoiling the broth. The script went through many revisions and changes as the vision was filtered through several different people (indeed at the beginning, there were two totally different scripts with an outer space theme written and being considered, one being "Muppets In Space" by Jerry Juhl and "Muppets From Space" by Kirk Thatcher.) While Muppets From Space had many great moments, it was very uneven and seemed like it was really tampered with and held back from its full potential.
So after Muppets From Space, why would i now be so in favor of major collaboration with veteran Muppet writers and directors with Segal/Stoller? Because there's several important differences...
*** Muppets From Space was a case of several veterans with different ideas. The new project would be a brand new team of newbies being closely guided and mentored by veterans with the idea of working towards making a unified concept the best movie it can be.
*** Muppets From Space was put through a bit of a creative blender with several people moving it away the original concept. One of the biggest was the Sony studio heads who perhaps had the biggest negative impacts on the final version. This is a story as old as Hollywood itself where the bean counters try to tell writers how to write and directors how to direct and no one ever seems to learn that this never works! (The same thing happened to Muppets Wizard of Oz!) The people at Disney need to put its collective trust in the creative team it hires and keep administrative interference to a minimum. That's probably the element that makes me the most nervous since this is not an area that Disney has the greatest reputation in. Interference and micro-management has over the years become synonymous with Disney and i really hope they can resist the urge to ruin what could be a really awesome project by trying to "help" it too much.
The next Muppet film could really be a huge step towards a major Muppet comeback or something that sets them back even further. They're in a good position since they have a winning concept that many people have been working hard on to make reality for a long time now. As long as veterans are on hand to keep the official Muppet Seal of Approval on it and the studio heads take a hands-off approach, i have faith this will be one of the best Muppet projects ever. If that doesn't happen, i have fear it will be one of the worst.
Some thoughts on the announcement of Disney's greenlighting a Muppet movie written by actor/writer Jason Segal and directed by writer/director Nick Stoller.
This is something i'm watching news on with great interest because this is really the first major new Muppet project that Disney had given the official go-ahead since it acquired the Muppets (The Muppets' Wizard of Oz was already being worked on before the purchase and most major news has been along the lines of releases of old material.)
My initial reaction when the news first broke was that i was thrilled that Disney had finally committed to bringing the Muppets back to the big screen but also was adopting a "wait-and-see" approach since this would be both written and directed by people who had never worked with the Muppets before. As much as they may indeed understand and love the characters, i would hope that there was still some input and collaboration with members of the official creative team like Jim Lewis, Kirk Thatcher, Joey Mazzarino, or Bill Baretta, just to name a few among many.
One of the latest details to emerge is that "the plot is rumored to feature the Muppets reuniting in order to put on a big show. After learning that the Muppets have drifted apart, audiences will follow Kermit as he works to bring the group back together to help save an old beloved theater. Apparently the theater is being threatened by an evil character looking to tear the theater down in order to get at a reserve of oil underneath."
I find this interesting since this is a very similar idea to another film script (also by outside writers) purchased by Henson several years ago and seriously being considered called "The Next Muppet Movie" and also the subject of a pitch tape for a new Muppet series developed and submitted by the official Muppet staff within the last year.
It seems like this is a very popular concept that both longtime and outside writers keep coming back to and seriously trying to produce. If i was in a major management position within the Muppets team, i would first brief Segal and Stoller on the other earlier projects, giving them copies of the script to "The Next Muppet Movie", a look at the recent pitch tape and be sure they know a lot of the history and ideas that had come before surrounding this project, perhaps being able to merge the best elements of each into a whole. Second, i would make also be sure that each person was working with an assistant from the longtime staff - Segal working closely with Lewis and Shemin for example and Stoller with Thatcher or Baretta to be sure that consistency is maintained with regards to Muppet style, tone and continuity with the Muppet world. Fresh blood may indeed infuse new life into the Muppets and Segal/Stoller's involvement may be good pr and buzz for getting more attention on the next Muppet film but they can't just be given free reign with the keys to the Muppetmobile - they need the guidance of the veterans to insure the legacy and that the final cut lives up to the 50 year history.
Being that the last Muppet film that was released to theaters was Muppets From Space, i'm kind of surprising myself that i'm suggesting that since one of the things that held back Muppets From Space from being the great film it had the potential to be to a bit of an uneven mishmosh was the input of too many cooks spoiling the broth. The script went through many revisions and changes as the vision was filtered through several different people (indeed at the beginning, there were two totally different scripts with an outer space theme written and being considered, one being "Muppets In Space" by Jerry Juhl and "Muppets From Space" by Kirk Thatcher.) While Muppets From Space had many great moments, it was very uneven and seemed like it was really tampered with and held back from its full potential.
So after Muppets From Space, why would i now be so in favor of major collaboration with veteran Muppet writers and directors with Segal/Stoller? Because there's several important differences...
*** Muppets From Space was a case of several veterans with different ideas. The new project would be a brand new team of newbies being closely guided and mentored by veterans with the idea of working towards making a unified concept the best movie it can be.
*** Muppets From Space was put through a bit of a creative blender with several people moving it away the original concept. One of the biggest was the Sony studio heads who perhaps had the biggest negative impacts on the final version. This is a story as old as Hollywood itself where the bean counters try to tell writers how to write and directors how to direct and no one ever seems to learn that this never works! (The same thing happened to Muppets Wizard of Oz!) The people at Disney need to put its collective trust in the creative team it hires and keep administrative interference to a minimum. That's probably the element that makes me the most nervous since this is not an area that Disney has the greatest reputation in. Interference and micro-management has over the years become synonymous with Disney and i really hope they can resist the urge to ruin what could be a really awesome project by trying to "help" it too much.
The next Muppet film could really be a huge step towards a major Muppet comeback or something that sets them back even further. They're in a good position since they have a winning concept that many people have been working hard on to make reality for a long time now. As long as veterans are on hand to keep the official Muppet Seal of Approval on it and the studio heads take a hands-off approach, i have faith this will be one of the best Muppet projects ever. If that doesn't happen, i have fear it will be one of the worst.
