Jason Segel to play the lead in new movie

[dwayne1115]

Well isn't that the kind of idea that was behind Studio DC Almost Live? And from what I have heard it went really well with the kids.

 

[Drtooth]

It sounds good and all, but I really think the movie should have a human villain somewhere as well. Can't remember if there was one of them in the leaked script. There were only 2 that didn't have them, MTM- where denial and rejection were the unseen villains in the piece, and MupOz where Piggy played the main villain (which really didn't work, I think).

 

[Super Scooter]

It sounds good and all, but I really think the movie should have a human villain somewhere as well. Can't remember if there was one of them in the leaked script. There were only 2 that didn't have them, MTM- where denial and rejection were the unseen villains in the piece, and MupOz where Piggy played the main villain (which really didn't work, I think).

Yeah, I agree with the Muppet Mindset's review of MupOz. Miss Piggy shouldn't have been the bad guy. Muppets aren't as evil as the witch was in that movie.

But, yes, there's supposed to be a bad guy in the next Muppet movie, at least the first draft had one. The evil Oil Tycoon.

 

[Drtooth]

Yeah, I agree with the Muppet Mindset's review of MupOz. Miss Piggy shouldn't have been the bad guy. Muppets aren't as evil as the witch was in that movie.

It was an experiment, and I honestly think it could have worked somehow on some level (Baby Piggy was brilliant as the Witch in their version of Snow White, I can only imagine the adult version of her in the comic version now)... But something about the entire project seemed off. Seems that Piggy should have played ONE witch, having humans play the others.

 

[dwayne1115]

It was an experiment, and I honestly think it could have worked somehow on some level (Baby Piggy was brilliant as the Witch in their version of Snow White, I can only imagine the adult version of her in the comic version now)... But something about the entire project seemed off. Seems that Piggy should have played ONE witch, having humans play the others.

Or bring back one of Piggy's nighmares and bring Anne Sue back as the Good witch, and both her and the and Piggy have a thing for Kermit.

 

[James Denny]

This may come across as harsh, it's not meant to be but its been on my mind for a while now and after chatting about it with another Muppet fan I recognise I'm not the only one.
I have a big issue with what I call, in polite company anyway, Vanity projects, You know the ones where the lead actor also wrote the script and was assistant producer, best boy and in control of lighting rig 4. I hope and pray that this isn't whats happening with this.
I'm not saying Segal's motivation is wrong, he's clearly crazy about the Muppets which is a good thing, but c'mon if you're crazy about something you give it the chance to shine above yourself, and sure you can let yourself bask in the reflective glory but this isn't The Jason Segal and The Muppet Movie, its the Muppet Movie, written by a funny and talented guy but I get the feeling that British audiences at least will have a hard time with name recognition.
The only reason I went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall was to find out about the guy who were involved the next Muppet Movie and yes the last scene with puppets and Muppet references made me feel pleased that the writer understood and loved them but ever since I found out he was the human lead there's a nagging voice saying this could be a huge mistake having a guy who isn't that well known to be the lead.
Of course i'm witholding judgement untill the thing comes out but im also waiting to exhale

 

[Drtooth]

I'd rather see a Muppet vanity project than anything that even remotely resembles the script destruction of Muppets From Space, or the dodgy, jaded, and forced grabbing at potential demographics of MupOz. Heck, if it wasn't for Jason Segel, Disney would use the money to ruin another classic cartoon with a movie version staring an actual animal version of an anthropomorphic character. I'm not saying you should be thankful that someone in the biz has enough passion to bring this to life, and the rising stardom to make it happen.... but you should be thankful that someone in the biz has enough passion to bring this to life, and the rising stardom to make it happen. And I hate to play this card, but... He's in like three movies a year and a TV show. Not well known? Dude from MTM is unknown... Jeffery Tambor, while established, wasn't even in the cult series Arrested Development (which I think rekindled his stardom) until years after MFS.

We should all be greatful that Tim Hill is nowhere near this movie. Otherwise, we'd suffer through another movie that takes the meat out of the script and has them stand in line at the DMV and not even talking for 90 minutes.

 

[frogboy4]

I'd rather see a Muppet vanity project than anything that even remotely resembles the script destruction of Muppets From Space, or the dodgy, jaded, and forced grabbing at potential demographics of MupOz. Heck, if it wasn't for Jason Segel, Disney would use the money to ruin another classic cartoon with a movie version staring an actual animal version of an anthropomorphic character. I'm not saying you should be thankful that someone in the biz has enough passion to bring this to life, and the rising stardom to make it happen.... but you should be thankful that someone in the biz has enough passion to bring this to life, and the rising stardom to make it happen. And I hate to play this card, but... He's in like three movies a year and a TV show. Not well known? Dude from MTM is unknown... Jeffery Tambor, while established, wasn't even in the cult series Arrested Development (which I think rekindled his stardom) until years after MFS.

We should all be greatful that Tim Hill is nowhere near this movie. Otherwise, we'd suffer through another movie that takes the meat out of the script and has them stand in line at the DMV and not even talking for 90 minutes.

I have to agree with all of this. I think someone like Segel is a good fit. I found MFS to be self-indulgent attempt to fit into the times that backfired. They had a great idea from the original Muppet Man himself - Jerry Juhl, but destroyed it for something much more pedestrian. Sure, MFS created a slew of young fans, but so does a lot of children’s entertainment. There wasn’t much in it for the older crowd like me. Let’s face it; MFS was mostly for ages 11 and under. Segel sees what happened there and wants to get things back on the original track. I think he’ll achieve that.

 

[Drtooth]

Well... I wouldn't say indulgent so much as the product of a director who's future visions included "NO! Only Garfield should be CGI! Everyone else must be live action... AND talk with super imposed mouths!" and "The Chipmunks NEED to be obsessed with Toaster Waffles for no good reason." Really... What director did they fire that had no vision at all? Even he would have been better. You don't take the best parts out of a script to have the characters check the mailbox. The Mundane stuff doesn't make it more realistic and relatable... it makes it boring. I know the Incredibles had the idea of mixing the mundane with the extraordinary... and in The Incredibles, it WORKED. But here, it just took away from a film that needed a little more oomph. But at LEAST it wasn't as jaded and pop culturey as MupOz turned out.


But yeah. We must never forget the main reason why there's even a Muppet movie to talk of is that Jason Segel was the one who went to Disney and said, "Why aren't you doing anything with the Muppets?" Vanity or no, if it wasn't for him, best we'd get is maybe a TV special and another DTV/telefilm. And we're talking about someone who just doesn't care for the direction their films have taken them since the passing of Jim... something we all agree to. Would anyone want someone to make another "classic retelling" with the characters playing second and third to other actors?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I hope the lead character in the movie is Kermit the Frog, and that the "lead human" means someone who is in the background of the characters. Neither of the more recent Looney Tunes movies 'featured' those characters but had humans as the more prominent figures.

It's a Muppet movie. I want to watch a Muppet movie and not a film that says "Muppet Movie" where the Muppets are secondary characters.