The Muppets....Again!

[BillBrasky]

The Hollywood Reporter reports that "Inglourious Basterds" and "Django Unchained" star Christoph Waltz will have a substantial role in the new Muppets movie. Waltz will play an Interpol inspector, one of the few major human characters in the new movie. Other human roles that have yet to be filled are that of a "Russian femme fatale" and a "male lead 'whose intentions are always in question.'" As reported previously, James Bobin (who directed the previous Muppets movie) and Nicholas Stoller (who co-wrote it with Jason Segel) are writing the sequel for Bobin to direct, but Jason Segel will not be involved in any way.

Supposedly the new movie will be more in the vein of "The Great Muppet Caper", like a zany spy spoof, rather than the nostalgic "let's put on a show" vibe that the first movie featured.

[BillBrasky]

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Ty Burrell, one of the stars of ABC's Modern Family, is set to join the cast of Disney's sequel to The Muppets as one of the movie’s human stars.

Christoph Waltz was in talks for the role, but the Austrian actor’s schedule prevented the studio from making a deal.
James Bobin, who directed the 2011 Muppets film, is returning to helm the follow-up and co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Stoller.
The adventure moves from Hollywood to Europe, and while the film is expected to have a slew of cameos -- as is the Muppets' movie tradition -- one of the key roles is an Interpol inspector, whom Burrell will portray. (Another notable character is a Russian femme fatale.)

The Muppets grossed $158 million worldwide and relaunched a movie franchise for the studio. It starred and was co-written by Jason Segel, but he is not returning for the sequel.

David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, who produced The Muppets, are back to produce the sequel, which will shoot in London this winter.

Burrell has won a slew of awards for his comedy work in Modern Family, including an Emmy in 2011 for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.

He recently wrapped voicing the lead role of Mr. Peabody in DreamWorks Animation's Mr. Peabody & Sherman, based on the classic 1950s/’60s characters that appeared as part of the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon shows. The movie will be released in November 2013.

He will shoot two indies in the new year -- The Skeleton Twins with Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig and the ensembler Switch -- and is developing a new show for ABC that he is writing and co-executive producing with his brother, Duncan. The comedy is based on the Burrells' childhood in Oregon.

[ErikNielsen]

In a baffling development, Christoph Waltz and Ty Burrell are up for the same roles now.

[benjo990]

I like Ty, but that is one major downgrade in star power. Also dont know how i feel bout Stoller/Bobin returning. I thought one reason Segel didnt want involvement cos he thought the idea of a new team would be best?

[beewcar]

yes, but will Bret McKenzie be writing the songs again?

[metal2000]

yes, but will Bret McKenzie be writing the songs again?

I've read that he's already been working on them.

[BillBrasky]

Ricky Gervais is in negotiations to play the lead human role in the upcoming Muppets movie, which is slated to start filming next month, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gervais's part is being kept under wraps, but it's been compared to the role Jason Segel played in the 2011 Muppets reboot. Gervais would play one of three humans with a big part in the Europe-set movie (a ton of celebrity cameos are expected too), along with Ty Burrell as a lazy Interpol inspector and a Russian femme fatale character that is yet to be cast. If he ends up taking the job, the Muppets sequel will be Gervais's first starring role in a movie since 2009's The Invention of Lying. Gervais filmed a cameo for the previous Muppets movie but it was cut due to time constraints (although he can still be seen in the final musical number).

[Gluehead]

This inexplicably harsh backlash to Gervais has become far more obnoxious than he has ever been. He can be outspoken and arrogant and the constant "I'm an atheist!" rants get annoying but the guy is still very funny, a brilliant writer and the creator of some of the best TV shows of the past 12 years. Why wouldn't he be great in The Muppets? He has played empathetic characters before on Extras and Derek and in Ghost Town, he's a good actor, he'll bring something far more interesting to a leading role in a Muppets movie than Jason Segel did who was just inoffensively bland.

[BillBrasky]

http://www.comedy.co.uk/news/story/0..._movie_sequel/

Ricky Gervais has announced he is to take the lead role in Disney's next Muppets movie.

The comedian tweeted this afternoon: "I have just signed up to play the lead in the next Muppet Movie. I have the biggest trailer but Kermit will spend some time in my sink."

The rumor has been circulating since the start of the week when The Hollywood Reporter first broke gossip linking Gervais with the production.

Gervais will take the lead human role in The Muppets 2, which will start production in early 2013. The new movie follows from the success of last year's The Muppets, which made more than 92 million at the box office. The star of that film - Jason Segel - has announced he will not return for the sequel, prompting producers to look for a new lead.

There are said to be three main human stars in the new film, with Modern Family's Ty Burrell reportedly booked to play a lazy Interpol inspector. Entertainment Weekly has suggested the new movie will be set in Europe.

Gervais was already known to producers of the franchise, having made a cameo appearnace in the previous film - albeit one that was cut from the final edit.

The British comedian, who has been performing a series of stand-up shows in Scandinavia this month, has recently finished filming a series of Derek, his Channel 4 comedy series about a retirement home worker. Writing on his blog and referring to Karl Pilkington, he said recently: "So that's the end of An Idiot Abroad and The Ricky Gervais Show. The next time you'll get to see me and the little round headed buffoon in action is in Derek, which starts in January."

He added: "It's turned out very well indeed. You'll be the judge of that. I guess what I mean is, it turned out how I meant it to. That's all I can ask for. I can't really influence the vote any more than that. I can try to get as many people to see it as possible, but that's all. I would like to say that it's my personal favourite thing I've ever done. I can't explain why. It just is. Hope you like it. Karl came into the edit to watch a bit and stayed and watched all six. I was so glad he loved it. He's great in it. Everyone is, but I'm very proud of his performance. I created the character of Dougie by imagining what Karl's life would be like if he hadn't got into media, came to London, and met me. Haha. Showing him it, I felt like the Ghost of Xmas 'Alternative Present.'"

[BillBrasky]

Days before she co-hosts the Golden Globes, Tina Fey is in late-stage negotiations to star as the female lead in Disney’s sequel to The Muppets, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Fey would join Ricky Gervais as the human stars of the movie, which sees the felt-and-fur-lined puppets engaged in a European-set adventure. Modern Family star Ty Burrell also has a leading role.

The script is being kept secret, but the character descriptions point to a caper. Burrell, as first revealed by THR, is playing a lazy Interpol inspector.

If a deal is finalized, sources say Fey would play a Russian gulag prison guard.

James Bobin, who directed 2011's The Muppets, is back as helmer and co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Stoller.

David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, who produced The Muppets, also are back to produce the sequel, which will shoot in London this month.

Fey’s most recent feature role was 2010’s Date Night. She next will co-star opposite Paul Rudd in Admission, a comedy set for release in March. Fey worked with Gervais in 2009’s The Invention of Lying, which Gervais starred in and co-wrote and co-directed.

The Emmy-winning star and creator of NBC’s 30 Rock, who is stepping into Gervais' shoes as co-host with Amy Poehler of the Globes on Sunday, is repped by WME, 3 Arts Entertainment and Ziffren Brittenham.

[BillBrasky]

With the huge success of Disney's The Muppets in 2011, the gang is back together again with director James Bobin at the helm for a sequel which has begun shooting in London for its March 21, 2014 release date.

Entertainment Weekly was on set for a first look and they've revealed a few details about the movie including the title for the sequel..."The Muppets... Again!"

According to their story, the movie "finds the Muppet repertory company enjoying a triumphant world tour, only to become tangled up with a criminal mastermind named Constantine, who is out to steal an enormous diamond—and who happens to be a dead ringer for Kermit."

The story includes a new interview with Kermit, who claims that he won't be playing his identical twin Constantine because he can't do a Russian accent. He says he has "like 3,000 relatives back in the swamp, so it was quite easy to find a frog who could play Constantine."

“The Muppets… Again!” takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais, creator of “Derek” and the Golden Globe®- and Emmy®-winning series “The Office” and “Extras.” The film stars Golden Globe-, Emmy- and SAG Award®-winning actress and writer Tina Fey as Nadya, a feisty prison guard, and Emmy Award winner Ty Burrell (TV’s “Modern Family”) as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon.

Featuring a slew of surprising celebrity cameos, Disney’s “The Muppets… Again!” will shoot on location in London and in Hollywood, as well as in the famed Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, just outside of London.

[Gluehead]

He says he has "like 3,000 relatives back in the swamp, so it was quite easy to find a frog who could play Constantine."

Nepotism.

[BillBrasky]

From Peter Serafinowicz's Twitter:

Just on the set of the Muppets movie! Filming next week. Very excited!
— Peter Serafinowicz (@serafinowicz) March 14, 2013

[BillBrasky]