New Muppet Movie to be Filled with Cameos

[MuppetDanny]

From digitalspy.co.uk:

'Muppets' movie to be filled with cameos

The upcoming Muppets movie will reportedly include an assortment of cameos.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Disney film is to feature appearances from Alan Arkin, Jack Black, Billy Crystal, Zach Galifianakis and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Arkin will play a tour guide, Black a kidnapping victim and Galifianakis a hobo.

The film stars Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) as the human protagonist that rounds up the Muppets to put on a performance to save an ailing movie studio. Segel wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller, who directed Segel in Sarah Marshall.

Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and Rashida Jones will also appear in the movie, though details for their roles have not been revealed.

The new Muppets movie is scheduled for release on December 25, 2011.

source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a287982/muppets-movie-to-be-filled-with-cameos.html

 

[Oscarfan]

It's great this is happening, but am I the only who think the celebrity number is starting to getting a little high?

 

[MelissaY1]

It's great this is happening, but am I the only who think the celebrity number is starting to getting a little high?

No you're not. I don't think packing this film with celebrities is going to make people flock to this. Of course part of the reason I go to see any film is to see certain actors and so forth, but not the sole reason. I just really hope this film will be good and prove me wrong on my not so positive expectations.

Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to check it out and give it a chance, but I just hope they're not packing it with celebrities to mask a possible weak storyline, etc. I want the Muppets to be good and fun. I could care about Amy Adams and I only know Jason Segel by name, I have no clue about what he does, etc.

 

[Drtooth]

It's great this is happening, but am I the only who think the celebrity number is starting to getting a little high?

Yes, but you have to take in account two things.

1) These are the names of people speculated to be involved with the movie. There's a difference between speculating and actually having said stars in the film. Some may be able to make it, some may turn it down at the last minute, the film makers may even change their minds. For a while, Mel Gibson was going to be in the second Hangover film, but the cast and crew said NO DICE, and (unless it's another movie I'm thinking about) they somehow got Bill Clinton in another scene. Again, as long as it's the same movie, and that was speculation.

2) even if they are all filmed, there's a good chance they won't ALL be in the final product. We all know movies tend to go around an hour more or less than what the film goers see, and a lot of cameos are usually cut out of these kinds of movies for run time and to have a better flow. Any of these people can be cut from the final film, only to be regulated to the special bonus deleted scenes.

And third bonus consideration... if the movie needs star power to lift it up where it belongs with the general movie going public, so be it. Think about it. If this movie is successful, we'll have OTHER movies considered after it.

 

[TimmyMonsterIL]

It's great this is happening, but am I the only who think the celebrity number is starting to getting a little high?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the original Muppet Movie, and The Muppets Take Manhattan have a large amount of cameos from celebrities of the time they were filmed?...

I wouldn't see cameos in this new movie being too far of a reach, or a detriment to the film...

 

[theprawncracker]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the original Muppet Movie, and The Muppets Take Manhattan have a large amount of cameos from celebrities of the time they were filmed?...

I wouldn't see cameos in this new movie being too far of a reach, or a detriment to the film...

Timmy makes a good point... let's compare.

The Muppet Movie cameo stars:

1. Edgar Bergen
2. Milton Berle
3. Big Bird
4. Mel Brooks
5. James Coburn
6. Dom DeLuise
7. Elliot Gould
8. Bob Hope
9. Madeline Kahn
10. Carol Kane
11. Cloris Leachman
12. Steve Martin
13. Richard Pryor
14. Telly Savalas
15. Orson Welles
16. Paul Williams

Compare that to the list of rumored cameo celebrities we have in this new one...

1. Alan Arkin
2. Jack Black
3. Billy Crystal
4. Zach Galifianakis
5. Jean-Claude Van Damme
6. Jane Lynch
7. Paul Rudd
8. Rashida Jones
9. Danny Trejo
10. Ed Helms
11. John Krasinski
12. Donald Glover
13. Eric Stonestreet
14. Kristen Schaal
15. Lady Gaga

Even with all of the rumored celebrities for the movie, we don't even have as many as The Muppet Movie. I think what's important to keep in mind is that most, if not all, of the celebrities mentioned above will have one quick scene in the movie at most--much like Edgar Bergen or Richard Pryor did in The Muppet Movie. I don't think there's any need to worry about the cameo stars taking any of the focus away from The Muppets.

Granted, Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and Rashida Jones are apparently playing pretty substantial roles... but again, Cooper is the villain, Jones seems to be playing a Max-esque character, and Segel and Adams seem to have Jenny/Ronnie Crawford type roles going on. I don't think we have much to worry about.

 

[frogboy4]

Timmy makes a good point... let's compare.

The Muppet Movie cameo stars:

1. Edgar Bergen
2. Milton Berle
3. Big Bird
4. Mel Brooks
5. James Coburn
6. Dom DeLuise
7. Elliot Gould
8. Bob Hope
9. Madeline Kahn
10. Carol Kane
11. Cloris Leachman
12. Steve Martin
13. Richard Pryor
14. Telly Savalas
15. Orson Welles
16. Paul Williams

Compare that to the list of rumored cameo celebrities we have in this new one...

1. Alan Arkin
2. Jack Black
3. Billy Crystal
4. Zach Galifianakis
5. Jean-Claude Van Damme
6. Jane Lynch
7. Paul Rudd
8. Rashida Jones
9. Danny Trejo
10. Ed Helms
11. John Krasinski
12. Donald Glover
13. Eric Stonestreet
14. Kristen Schaal
15. Lady Gaga

Even with all of the rumored celebrities for the movie, we don't even have as many as The Muppet Movie. I think what's important to keep in mind is that most, if not all, of the celebrities mentioned above will have one quick scene in the movie at most--much like Edgar Bergen or Richard Pryor did in The Muppet Movie. I don't think there's any need to worry about the cameo stars taking any of the focus away from The Muppets.

Granted, Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and Rashida Jones are apparently playing pretty substantial roles... but again, Cooper is the villain, Jones seems to be playing a Max-esque character, and Segel and Adams seem to have Jenny/Ronnie Crawford type roles going on. I don't think we have much to worry about.

I was wondering who'd post the list. Hehe. Almost posted it myself. Honestly, a Muppet movie can't have too many cameos. I hope it has twice as much!

 

[Drtooth]

I was wondering who'd post the list. Hehe. Almost posted it myself. Honestly, a Muppet movie can't have too many cameos. I hope it has twice as much!

Unless it has the title "Muppets From Space" in which case, everyone but F. Murray Abraham, Andie McDowel (that's the name, right?) and David Arequette was one cameo too many. Same could be said for half of Oz. And let's not forget, MCC and MTI didn't have a single cameo in the mix.

 

[frogboy4]

Unless it has the title "Muppets From Space" in which case, everyone but F. Murray Abraham, Andie McDowel (that's the name, right?) and David Arequette was one cameo too many. Same could be said for half of Oz. And let's not forget, MCC and MTI didn't have a single cameo in the mix.

I thought Ray Liotta was funny in MFS. This is intended to be a Jim Henson era classic film like TMM and MTM so cameos make sense...as long as they're largely comprised of quality stars and not Hulk Hogan.

 

[Beauregard]

Unless it has the title "Muppets From Space" in which case, everyone but F. Murray Abraham, Andie McDowel (that's the name, right?) and David Arequette was one cameo too many. Same could be said for half of Oz. And let's not forget, MCC and MTI didn't have a single cameo in the mix.

Don't forget that the issue with the Mwoo style cameos and even the MFS ones to some extent was that they focused too much on the person making the cameo (Hello, Kelly Ozbourne?) whereas the baloon seller from TMM, the posh British guy in GMC and the make-up seller in MTM would have been funny and interesting even without them being celebrities filling the roles, the cameo aspect just made it more awesome.