New “Muppet Man” Jim Henson Biopic In The Works from Disney

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

A new film detailing the life and achievements of Jim Henson is in the works.

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Deadline is reporting that the film is being written by Michael Mitnick. There aren’t many details available yet, but the plot is expected to revolve around Henson and his effort to get his Muppets on television.

Henson’s daughter Lisa Henson is the current CEO of The Jim Henson Company and will be producing the film. She is currently in production on Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming Pinocchio for Netflix.

This biopic is being produced for both Disney and The Jim Henson Company. Disney has owned the rights to the Muppets characters since 2004. Reportedly discussions with The Henson Company about a biopic began in 2010, but there’s been no update since then. The new Disney+ series Muppets Now  was released last year, but a Muppets film hasn’t been released since Muppets Most Wanted in 2014.

MuppetVision 3D has been a staple of Disney’s Hollywood Studios since debuting in 1991. From 2016 to 2019, the Muppets were a staple in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom® Theme Park as part of the show “The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History”. Jim Henson’s Dinosaurs TV series was recently released on Disney+.

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Jim Henson is responsible for some of the greatest puppet work in history. He passed away in 1990 at the age of 53.

“Muppets Live Another Day” Canceled

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

“Muppets Live Another Day,” a rumored Disney+ project that would’ve seen Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of the Muppet gang team up with Josh Gad, has been canceled, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Gad, along with fellow series co-creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, have reportedly departed from the series’ production, prompting Disney to abandon the project. The show had never been officially announced, but rumors about the show date back as early as February of this year.

The show had been rumored to take place following the events of 1984’s The Muppets Take Manhattan (hence the project name “Muppets 1984”), as Kermit once again disbands the Muppet troupe, but they reunite to help find a missing Rowlf the Dog.

According to the Reporter‘s Lesley Goldberg, regime changes at Muppets Studios were a major factor in the decision to cancel the project. Gad, Horowitz and Kitsis had been working closely with studio vice president Debbie McClellan on “Muppet Live Another Day,” but McClellan soon departed from the studio. Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, then named Disney Parks Live Entertainment Senior Vice President David Lightbody to take over the studio. Lightbody apparently wanted to take a different direction on the Muppets, and reportedly offered the trio a chance to work on a new project featuring the characters, but the three felt strongly about their vision for the Muppets, and decided to walk away from the project rather than throw away over a year of work on a project they had faith in. Goldberg reports that the decision to depart from the project was amicable.

Gad took to social media to discuss the news, revealing previously-unrevealed aspects of the abandoned series, including original songs written by Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez of Frozen fame.

The cancellation of the project does not affect the production of “Muppets Now,” the unscripted variety shorts series coming to Disney+ next year. The show was officially announced at this year’s D23 Expo.