Rumor: The Muppet Wizard of Oz

[Luke]

The thing that would make or break this movie or whatever would be the envovment of Frank Oz.

Nah, Frank isn't as important nowadays. I respect his work but the Muppets have moved on from that style and this wouldn't be in his current style either. The thing that makes or breaks a Muppet movie nowadays or any Muppet project is the writers. I think the better work comes from ex-Simpsons and Letterman style people they hire in rather than (or as well as) the traditional Henson writers. The only chance of real success with a Muppet comeback is if they can combine the nostalgic element of the Muppets with todays fresh take on things. Just doing 1970's Muppet projects today would never work.

 

[Hairfarmer]

I Like the Frank Oz idea, as a cameo if nothing else. I think it would be hillarious if the "face" of the Wizard was played by The Mighty Favog!

How many in your party?

 

[Drtooth]

I'll have to agree... a rumor's a rumor. Remember when there was a rumor that Frnk Oz was workking on VMC, spread by imdb.com, the sme people who said that Capt. Smollett was in it? I mean, this is a proposed idea, like Kermit of Denmark, Muppet Haunted House (Make a great TV movie, actually, if they lay the heck off the NBC line up refferences. NBC must have forced them to do that... or they were buttering them up to produce it...), and Muppet's Cheapest movie. Preproduction, but never actually being IN production...

 

[dwayne1115]

well im just going to e mail henson and find out for myslef what is going on/

 

[BoyRaisin2]

But no Muppet fan is required to see a film if it's just two hours of Kermit picking his nose.

I see what you mean. Being that Kermit has no nose, fans might be confused as to why Kermit is scratching his face all that time.

And MCC is awesome.

 

[Luke]

Preproduction, but never actually being IN production...

That's what i'd put my money on with this. The rumor as it was written on AICN seems a bit sexed up to make it more dramatic and immediate. I wonder if maybe it's just another idea in development that's been pitched and leaked out (there does seem to be something behind it all). Of course development can move to pre-production and into production fairly quickly sometimes.

... and for those emailing Henson about this, i think they have tons of emails so far, if they want to announce something they do it in a press release and you'll hear that here first !

 

[beaker]

This is a first...I've never 'not' felt a darn thing at the news of a Muppet movie.
No seriously, Im a hardcore Muppet fan of two decades and I didn't even get th eslightest grin or twinkle. Please please oh please let this be one of thos unstantiated Aint It Cool rumors, as this is a big step *backwards*. I know this will please the old old school fans, but dear goodness...they can fill this with all the pop references of the week banter they want, this one is going to slam the Muppets a few eras back if ya ask me.

 

[Drtooth]

Exactly. I mean, if it's done well, and it's all Muppet production with Fraggles or Penguins as Munchkins, and Statler and Waldorf as 2 flying monkeys, it could work. My idea is that they are putting on a production of the WOZ (maybe making a film) and every so often something goes wrong with the film/ production, causing the project to collapse. Someone (Kermit, Piggy... whoever) has a dream about going to Oz, and the characters are all the parts they had before. At the end, Kermit (piggy, whoever) realizes that it's not what the production looks like, or how many special effects theyn shove in it, but putting on the show itself, and making dreams come true that counts.

But if it's another MCC, it's a step backward.

I mean, this rumor may be true, false, what have you. it's from the internet, so somehow, somewhee, there may be an ounce of truth, but right now, I can't see it as anything more than a rumor (If I could list all the rumored films on the Internet.... Wacky Races starring Dustin Hoffman as Dick Dastardly for one)

 

[Super Scooter]

It would be really neat if they did it as if it were a Story Book episode of The Muppet Show, and Dorothy were played by a special guest star. Then Miss Piggy could have a running gag of complaining to Kermit that she doesn't have a role in the play, and keep sneaking in during parts.

You think if they based it on the movie, it would have the cut Jitter Bug sequence?

 

[Drtooth]

A lot of people are getting worked up over a rumor. I mean, with a hundred other scripts and ideas (all better than this one) what makes everyone think they'll choose this one instead of any of the other proposed ideas.

I'd love to see them make Muppets IN Space (the idea that was proposed before they made Muppets FROM space), actually... Fill it full of Space movie cliche's... that has some great potential.

I wonder why they never thought of a Sketch movie (like Monty Python films) and just have extended skits rasing from one unifying idea....