MUPPETS Screenwriter Nicholas Stoller Says THE MUPPETS Might Be Coming Back to TV

[Muppet Master]

My question is, what the heck is Frank Oz even doing right now? Besides performing and occasionally on SS (FYI I saw one of his recent Grover performances, and not to be mean, but he sounds like a ..... point is he sounds off. Honestly I think he's retired, it's been 7 years since he last directed, so I think he's basically retired, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[dwayne1115]

Last I heard he was going to be directing a play. I'm not sure if its a Broadway, or off Broadway play but that is what I heard. I also heard and saw that he recently 8-9 months ago got married to a very beautiful lady, whose name I sadly can't recall.

 

[cahuenga]

Famous directors often are directing commercials for tv but they are uncredited for that job. Maybe Frank is directing some commercials from time to time. Besides months ago I read about a film he would direct with Billy crystal, maybe they are working on that film ...
Besides, I think Frank still cares for the Muppets, he even went to the studio where Letters to Santa were being taped only to say hello to his old pals. And we can`t forget he was looking to direct the next Muppet film until Segel came with his script.
I still hope he would direct his film with the muppets...

 

[Duke Remington]

Why are people trying to take down the Segel/Stoller/Bobin Muppet movies? Why are some of you trying to hate on them because of Frank not being involved?

Frank is not the end-all be-all of the Muppets.

Disney had every right to approve the Segel/Stoller/Bobin Muppet films--they were absolutely necessary for re-launching the franchise, especially the 2011 film.

Plus, I very highly doubt that all the obscure character re-builds that we have gotten in the newer films would've happened if Frank and Jim Lewis were to have been behind the wheel--I can't see them caring about the obscure characters as much as Bobin and company do.

 

[dwayne1115]

Obscure Muppets are nice to see....but I would love to have seen a richer story line for Scooter, the band, and Rowlf. It's easy to throw obscure Muppets in any giving scene. What is truly a challenge is writing for the beloved Muppets, and staying true to who they really are.
I loved both new movies, but what tuned me off to the writers is hearing how they think most of the Muppets are stupid. To me that is a big slap in the face to Jim, Frank, Dave, Richard, Steve,Bill and so on. I also think it's a slap in the face to us long time fans. We did not fall in love with the Muppets because they where stupid. We fell in love with them because they where smart, funny charming, irreverent. That is why I have "turned"against the new writers....
We may not get obscure Muppets in a Oz/Lewis script, but we would have two people who have a better understanding of the Muppets.

 

[Duke Remington]

In regards to the whole thing about them saying that the Muppets are stupid, I think some of you are taking it the wrong way and misinterpreting the words of Stoller and Bobin.

I highly doubt that they even imply that the Muppets are stupid in a "Too Dumb to Live" kind of way, just that they're not necessarily the sharpest pencils in the box while still being smart, funny, charming and irreverent.

Please back me up here, DrTooth...

 

[CensoredAlso]

I always said I don't think they meant it as an insult. One of them even said he just wasn't great at building up things. Thing is, historically the Muppets have been portrayed and described as mad, crazy, nuts, in a good way. And that's very different from saying the characters are stupid.

 

[cahuenga]

I have to say I love both The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted, the last its my second favourite Muppet film. I only say that a new Frank Oz muppet movie would be the right step for the Muppet franchise now, only that. But I deeply love the last films.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

I'll have to agree to disagree. No one really knows what the right direction is we're only giving opinions.

 

[Muppet Master]

Obscure Muppets are nice to see....but I would love to have seen a richer story line for Scooter, the band, and Rowlf. It's easy to throw obscure Muppets in any giving scene. .

The bad things about the new muppet films are that they don't give those characters real parts. I mean in TMM, GMC, and MTM Rowlf had roles where we got some of his characteristic charm from a duet with Kermit and telling him about his life, to playing the piano and stopping the dogs from barking at the mallory gallery, and tha whole "letter" scene. I mean one of the strongest points of MTM is that it has one individual scene for so many secondary characters like the Mayhem, Scooter, and Rowlf. The new ones just have them thrown in a random scene with random lines like "What are we going to do without Kermit" could've been said by Rowlf, Gonzo, Floyd, Walter, etc. I don't understand how hard it is for Nick and James to study TMS and learn their characters!