EM.TV to Sell Muppets to Jim Henson's Children for $89 Million

[scarecroe]

Superman vs Batman, Batman Beyond and Batman: Year One have all been dropped. A solo Superman project is supposed to go before cameras by the end of this year (if they ever decide on a director) and a fifth Batman script (tentatively titled Batman: The Frightening) is being polished up for a go as well.

 

[ZootandDingo]

Originally posted by frogboy4
Cool. Just as I originally stated, "The explosion must have started nearly 7 years ago with the opening of the WB store." The opening of the stores and the aquisition of Turner Entertaimnent happened around the same time. Starting in 1997 and continuing to 2003 would be about 6-7 years.

And you would have been right, if it wasn't for the fact that the stores opened in '91 or '92.

 

[radionate]

Originally posted by frogboy4
Yeah, I get what you mean, but actually ABC is worse on the reality TV front these days.

I've got some semi good news.

ABC is about to annouce their fall lineup, and it looks like 10-11 shows will be returning (NYPD Blue, The Practice, Life with Bonnie, Rules for Dating, etc) and they are backing away from the reality TV hoopla. It looks like they will be focusing on a genre that CBS and NBC have been ignoring, sitcoms. They'll have quite a few new ones of the schedule and word has it they are going to be focused on trying to make them work. If they pull it off (I'm not holding my breath right now), a new Muppet show might not be out of place on the alphabet network. Depending on their demographics for the shows.

Expect to see a big turnaround back towards sitcoms in the near future as well. The Fall 2004 season will be hard pressed on NBC with the loss of their big guns (Friends will be gone, as most likely will Frasier and maybe even Will and Grace). The time is most certainly perfect for the Muppets to jump in and find an audience next Spring or Fall (2004).

 

[Chilly Down]

In addition to the possible Batman movie, and the Superman movie for which they're COMPLETELY reworking his origins and his basic story, they're doing Catwoman with Halle Berry and basically just ripping her storyline out of Batman Returns. So we're basically going to get a retread of what we've already seen, but things changed helter-skelter as the filmmakers feel like it.

In other words, Warner's has thrown away all the good ideas (Batman vs. Superman, Batman: Year One, Kevin Smith's Superman Lives) in favor of the worst, stupidest ideas possible.

This is why I was against Warner's buying the Muppets 3 years ago. It seems that Scooby is the only one they've gotten right.

 

[frogboy4]

Originally posted by ZootandDingo
And you would have been right, if it wasn't for the fact that the stores opened in '91 or '92.

Really? I don't remember a WB store in New York, Houston or San Francisco in the early 90s. They didn't seem to come around until the mid-90s. But I'm sure it was different everywhere. Probably opened in LA first. They just weren't very common until then I guess.

 

[Luke]

Oh god - i just hope Reality TV (even if just Celeb Reality) stays around for one more year. 3 of the 8 main shows i'm either pitching or have somewhere near commision level right now are linked to reality in some new and original way. I guess in the UK we might have a bit more time ! *sweats*

Anyway yeah i'm not totally for Warners buying the Muppets but it's interesting that Scooby Doo is a fairly similar property to the Muppets in some respects. I wonder what it would have been like if it was them - i guess they might have promoted all the animation stuff ahead of the puppetry though.

 

[kansasteen14]

I'm sorry Luke but I will be overjoyed by reality tv leaving. The muppets will fit in better with more sitcoms.

 

[beaker]

Originally posted by Luke
Scooby is obviously very similar to the Muppets in that it's a very well recognised nostaglic brand which while keeping in touch with it's older style and viewers also seeks to re-energize itself for todays market.

??? Scooby is straight up 70's, even in its modern reincarnation. There is nothing modern about it...whereas if you look at MFS, Muppetisms, the Mastercard commercial there is nothing 'old' looking about the Muppet brand...in fact the Muppets look quite modern. Thats' the big difference. Scooby is this kind of kitchy 70's cartoon, Muppets are a 50 year old legacy the world over that continues to reinvent itself time and time again.

Then again I'm not a Scooby fan by any stretch of the cosmos, so perhaps that opinion is a bit biased

 

[Movies205]

Here is the plan by Warner Brothers...

Batman has a director Chris Nolan(Memento) and a writer David Goyer(Blade 1 & 2).. Supposely start filming in november

Superman, no director.... McG left and Bret Ratner left... No director yet they plan to start filming in november

Batman Year 1 is dead... Darron Arkosky left, they plan on making a Bat vs Supes movie after they've made 3 superman movies and 3 batman movies...

 

[Aaron]

getting back on topic im going to miss the excitement of the whole who will own the muppets thing