The next The Muppets film might be with us as early as next year, and is set to follow in the spirit of The Great Muppet Caper…
The story so far on The Muppets follow-up, then. Jason Segel isn’t going to be writing this time, having decided to pursue other projects, given than he put five years, on and off, into making the last film happen. Disney still wants another film, though, and thus the co-writer of the last one, Nicholas Stoller, will team with its director, James Bobin, to pen the script for the next film.
Bobin is expected to direct again, too. And we’d cry big grown-up tears if Bret McKenzie wasn’t re-recruited on music duties.
Stoller also has another film on his plate, though, having reteamed with Jason Segel for The Five Year Engagement, due this summer. And as part of his promotional work for that, Stoller has been chatting to Collider about what we can expect from the next Muppets adventure.
He firstly revealed that he and James Bobin have outlined the new film, and now started writing it proper. He admitted that Disney “want it as soon as possible”, adding that the studio was looking to summer 2013. “I don’t think that’s realistic in terms of getting it all together in time. But to want to do it quickly is great. It certainly makes us want to write it quickly”.
With regards a cameo for Segel, he said that “Gary and Mary’s story is concluded. There’s not much to say after that for their story, but we follow them up into a…I will say, it is a caper. It is a comedy caper.” Stoller added that “We love The Great Muppet Caper and we love Muppets Take Manhattan and whatnot. So this has some elements of that, but it’s different because it’s in the tone of what James and I like to do.”
Finally, he also revealed that we can expect new characters to be added to The Muppets fold.
Our guess, then, from what Stoller is saying, is that a release around the end of 2013 is likely. All we need to know now is where to send our acting audition. What we wouldn’t give to be in a Muppet film…
Read the full piece over at Collider, here.
Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.