Disney Enlists Segel & Stoller for new Muppets movie

[theprawncracker]

2. This film NEEDS Pepe as one of the main people. Sorry to the old school purists, but Pepe is one of the best darn Muppets to come out post 1990. If not THE best Muppet since 1990.

Yes. Thank you for saying that. I expect a big role from Pepe as well, and he does deserve it. Bill Barretta is a great performer and deserves to perform his OWN characters along with Jim's.

And besides, I think Pepe would fit the writing of Segel very well, don't you?

 

[uppitymuppity]

I like the idea. Henson used this plot line of saving the theater/putting on a show again and again for a reason. It works.

It's what they do with the characters & etc. that will ultimately make it a good movie or not.

Whoever made the remark about Micky Rooney & Judy Garland being in a 100 films with this plot is dead on. It's an old Hollywood formula that is tried and true!

 

[Drtooth]

Yes. Thank you for saying that. I expect a big role from Pepe as well, and he does deserve it. Bill Barretta is a great performer and deserves to perform his OWN characters along with Jim's.

I completely agree with that one. Pepe, Johnny, Sal, etc. I love the new characters that they actually kept around after Muppets Tonight. Sal, Johnny, Bobo... all those guys. As long as it isn't the dumb pig twins or Mr. Poodle Pants, we've got some great stuff here. Heck, i think pepe's performance pretty much saved MFS and VMX half the time.

What I want to see is balance. Balance between older characters and newer characters. If the newer ones are only delgated to Cameos, so be it. I just hope Kevin Clash could come in and perform Clifford for a scene or two. I want to see Rowlf and Scooter allong side Bobo and VanNeuter. There are so many great characters past and present, and it would be a shame not to see them all.

 

[dwayne1115]

Pepe did bring MFS back to some good, and I also love him on the New Mupets.com I just want some older muppets to come back.

 

[MrsPepper]

2. This film NEEDS Pepe as one of the main people. Sorry to the old school purists, but Pepe is one of the best darn Muppets to come out post 1990. If not THE best Muppet since 1990.

3. DrTooth, you really didnt like 40 Year old Virgin or Knocked Up? What about Superbad? I HATE mainstream comedies, but absolutely love the writing of these guys. So its not as offbeat as Little Miss Sunshine or Ghost World, but it definately has a more real honest quality to it then most...much more smarter

Just putting my two cents in, I'm in this camp; Totally agree with you.

 

[uppitymuppity]

Did you see the chipmunks? I mean money aside that was a piece of crap...

I don't think the muppets need a reintroduction - I think they need proper character development.

And yes, that includes pepe.

 

[frogboy4]

The Muppets really need no official reintroduction. The character concepts and relationships are so elegantly simplistic that the audience should get it right away - from the writing and performance.

I mean: Kermit = "the glue" and patient head frog
Fozzie = "bad jokes", floundering comedian and best friend to the frog.
Gonzo = "weirdo" chicken-loving daredevil and masochist.
Miss Piggy = "plump diva", pines for Kermit (who secretly feels for her).
Rowlf = "piano playing dog" with good-hearted sarcasm.
Scooter = "over-eager assistant" with starry aspirations.
Electric Mayhem = "the band" too hip for the room.

What's not to get?

 

[Beauregard]

Also:

Kermit - 'Leader'
Fozzie - 'Best friend'
Gonzo - 'Oddball artist'
Miss Piggy - 'Romace'
Rowlf - 'Sage'
Scooter - 'Young enthusiastic character' (I wanna say the Wesly Crusher character Star Trek )
Electric Mayhem - 'Where hip before the muppets and will be after'

 

[beaker]

Just putting my two cents in, I'm in this camp; Totally agree with you.

Thanks. And I TOTALLY understand people's hesitations or concerns about "moderning" up the Muppets...as in modern=crass low blow and cheap pop references.

When people think adult humor, they in reality think sexual and otherwise inappropriate for family humor. MY definition of edgy and adult humor in regards to children/family animation and film working on different layers would be more of a "smarts" and references sort of thing.

When Bert and Ernie jokingly reference a kind of self help sense of
understanding of the world, or when a Muppet talks about existentialism, or say...referencing things only a "grown up" would get...self aware humor, thats "adult" but not in a sexual way...I like that. I saw this even on Muppet Family Christmas, things you pick up as you grow older and wiser of the world.

so yes, there may be trepedation from Muppet fans of guys known for R rated raunchy comedies in pushing forward with a Muppet film...but, perhaps they are able to bring a classic-modern
smart chemistry sensibility to the project that most writers just couldnt get. Sadly, Juhl is no longer with us, and sooner or later the Muppets have to take a chance with new writing talent.

Yes. Thank you for saying that. I expect a big role from Pepe as well, and he does deserve it. Bill Barretta is a great performer and deserves to perform his OWN characters along with Jim's.

And besides, I think Pepe would fit the writing of Segel very well, don't you?

Absolutely. I could not see a modern Muppet film by Stoller/Segal with a minor background roll for Pepe. To me the main muppets are Kermit, Piggy, Gonzo, Pepe, Fozzie, Rizzo and Animal. This dynamic has pretty much been solidified since 1999. Tho...I have to say, that I do miss Scooter and Rowlf, and I appreciate the attempts to try and bring them back.

That said, I would be curious to see new Muppets thrown in.

 

[Drtooth]

Thanks. And I TOTALLY understand people's hesitations or concerns about "moderning" up the Muppets...as in modern=crass low blow and cheap pop references.

That's the problem with hipping something up for modern audiences. You always have to play to the lowest common denominator. Personally, I'd rather the Muppets deal with pop Culture in a Tiny Toon Adventures/Animaniacs sort of way, and not the Scary Movie style get every cultural refference that happened in the past year sandwiched and squeazed in instead of a plot line.

I have no problem with anyone making anything contemporary, just they way they do it. Look at what happened to the Looney Tunes after Warners felt they needed to hip them up after Looney Tunes Back in Action flopped (due to their poor promoting and horrible release date). We got Loonatics. pop garbage that only appealed briefly to little kids. Now, you look at what they did with TazMania and Duck Dodgers, you've got some real current stuff that has a classic feel to the characters and yet goes off and becomes its own thing.

That's what I want to see. The muppets in current times, but only in the sense that the Muppet films took place in the 70's and 80's. In The Muppet Movie (while there were a lot of at the moment 70's celebrities) they didn't go to a disco. They were themselves in a current time frame.