The Muppets (2011)

The Muppets is a new Muppet movie presently in post-production by Walt Disney Pictures for a November 23, 2011 release in US theaters. The script was written by Jason Segel and Nick Stoller, the writer-director team behind the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. James Bobin, co-creator of the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, is directing the film and Bret McKenzie, co-star of Flight of the Conchords, has written the film's songs.

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The film started production in September 2010. Principal photography for The Muppets began on October 30, 2010 and concluded on February 11, 2011. Walt Disney Pictures has announced that the movie will be released in theaters on November 23, 2011. Theatrically, the film will be accompanied by a brand-new short film featuring Disney and Pixar's Toy Story characters.

Synopsis
Official Summary "On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10-million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called The Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, "The Muppets" hits the big screen November 23, 2011."

The film will feature four new musical numbers, plus several classic Muppet songs such as "The Rainbow Connection" and "Mahna Mahna."

Credits

 * Director: James Bobin
 * Writers: Jason Segel and Nick Stoller
 * Producers: Martin G. Baker, John G. Scotti, Jason Segel, David Hoberman, and Todd Lieberman
 * Original Music: Bret McKenzie
 * Choreography: Michael Rooney
 * Cinematography: Don Burgess

Human cast

 * Jason Segel as Gary
 * Amy Adams as Mary
 * Chris Cooper as Tex Richman
 * Rashida Jones as a network executive

Muppets

 * Afghan Hound, Animal, Atrics Drummer, Beaker, Beauregard, Beautiful Day Monster, Behemoth, Big Mean Carl, Blustering Bellowpane Monster, Bobby Benson, Bobo the Bear, Camilla, Chickens, Clifford, Crazy Harry, Droop, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Dr. Teeth, Floyd, Fozzie Bear, Frackles, Frogs, Gonzo, Iguana, Janice, Kermit the Frog, Lew Zealand, Link Hogthrob, Lips, Luncheon Counter Monster, Mahna Mahna, Marvin Suggs, Miss Piggy, Miss Poogy, Mo Frackle, Monkeys, Muppaphones, Nigel, Penguins, Pepe the King Prawn, Pokey, Rabbits, Rats, Rizzo the Rat, Robin the Frog, Robot, Rowlf the Dog, Sam the Eagle, Scooter, Sheep, The Snowths, Statler and Waldorf, Sweetums, The Barbershop Cactus Quartet, The Early Bird, The Moopets, The Mutations, The Newsman, The Swedish Chef, Thog, Trumpet Girl, Uncle Deadly, Walter, Wayne and Wanda, Whatnots, Zoot

Muppet performers

 * Bill Barretta, Tyler Bunch, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Nathan Danforth, Alice Dinnean, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Patrick Johnson, Sean Johnson, Bruce Lanoil, Peter Linz, Paul McGinnis, Michael Oosterom, Karen Prell, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, Steve Whitmire

Development
In 2008, Jason Segel and Nick Stoller pitched a concept for a Muppet movie to Disney Vice President Kristin Burr. The pitch was well received and the pair was offered a deal to develop their script. In March 2008, Variety first reported that Disney signed a deal with Segel and Stoller to create the next Muppet movie; with Segel and Stoller penning the script and Stoller attached to direct. Segel has been very outspoken on his involvment, mentioning his role writing for the Muppets in many interviews and appearances. Drafts of Segel and Stoller's script, originally entitled The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time!!! circulated. According to early drafts of the screenplay, the film would include celebrity cameos by Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Christian Bale, Ben Stiller, Steve Carrell, George Clooney, Jack Black, Mel Brooks, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Rachel Ray, Bob Saget, Lisa Lampenelli, Jeff Ross, and Charles Grodin. A cameo was also written for Elmo, but it was said it would've been too expensive.

In June 2008, Segel said: "I just turned in my first draft of the Muppets and I'm really excited about it. I think we're bringing them back. Hopefully it will fall right in the pantheon of The Great Muppet Caper, Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppet Movie, you know, we're trying to make one of those."

Stoller commented on the film in a 2008 interview: "Basically, we're gonna do an old school Muppet movie, where the Muppets have to put on a show to save the studio. It's very simple. A big part of the movie is rounding up all the Muppets from around the world, because they've all been separated. So it's collecting them and bringing them together to put on this big show. It should hearken back to Great Muppet Caper and Muppets Take Manhattan and those kinds of Muppet movies. Jason and I are having a lot of fun writing it. We want to get as many cameos and guest stars as possible. Jason will play a human ventriloquist, and his puppet is alive and wants to be a Muppet."

In his March 20, 2009 appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Jason Segel talks about his love for the Muppets, and his then-current work on the script for the next Muppet movie. Statler and Waldorf appeared in the audience to heckle Fallon and Segel.

Early versions of the script described Gary and Walter as "a ventriloquist and his puppet who's alive and wants to be a Muppet." Later versions described Walter as a nondescript, brown puppet.

While early reports said Stoller would also direct the film, in January 2010 James Bobin was hired to direct the film. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman will be producing the film.

The first table read of the script took place in May 2010. In July 2010, the team involved with producing the movie met with creative heads at Pixar to fine-tune the script. Walt Disney Pictures originally announced a Christmas 2011 release for the film, but in December 2010 the release was announced for Thanksgiving 2011.

On October 15, 2010, it was announced that Amy Adams, Rashida Jones and Chris Cooper were nearing deals to join the movie. According to a report on Hollywood.com, "Segel will star in the lead role, with Adams as his girlfriend. Jones takes the role of an ABC executive. Cooper plays the villain, a greedy man who wants to drill for oil underneath the studio. And he also has a personal vendetta against the Muppets: he never thought they were funny."

Segel discussed composer Bret McKenzie's involvement in a January 2011 interview. Segel say that he had considered writing the music himself but thought he might be able to do it right. Segel said: "I'm good at writing songs that are allowed to just be funny; They don't need to have a tremendous amount of musical merit, but these Muppet songs have to be great. The lineage of the Muppet songs, things like Rainbow Connection and all that, it's not a job for an amateur. McKenzie really knows what he's doing, and his songs have just been beautiful.'

Filming
Production started in September 2010 and filming began on October 30, 2010.

The November 12, 2010 issue of Entertainment Weekly featured a 2-page spread about the new Muppet movie. The article featured a summary of the film's concept along with quotes from Segel and Bobin. It also included the first photo of Walter, who up until then had never been seen, along with new photos of the Muppets and the movie's co-writer/co-star Jason Segel posing at a mock table read for the film. A second version of this publicly photo was released including James Bobin, Nick Stoller, and Bret McKenzie.

The exteriors of the Jim Henson Company Studio Lot (the former Charlie Chaplin Studios) were redressed as Muppet Studios in November 2010 for the filming of The Muppets.

Mickey Rooney filmed a cameo for the film in November 2010. Ricky Gervais, Kathy Griffin and Billy Crystal filmed cameos in January 2011.

Hollywood Boulevard was closed for two nights on January 18th and 19th to film the final musical number. The shoot involved Amy Adams, Jason Segel and multiple Muppets singing and dancing in front of the El Capitan Theatre, with several rows of backup dancers and dozens of extras and Muppets filling the busy street.

thumb|300px|right|The closing scene being rehearsed on Hollywood Boulevard

The Los Angeles Times reported that Kermit will once again sing one of his signature songs, The Rainbow Connection to resurrect classic material, but also to show his range as an actor, as he says he's very dramatic in the film. In an interview Kermit said Segel's "a big kid," and added that "the only problem is he's very tall, so I have to do most of my scenes standing on boxes. He's 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4, and I'm only about 18 inches high." Kermit also said he's excited to be back in the movies: "Not only is it a big project but we get to be big on the screen. It's good for all of us except Piggy. She's not crazy about being any bigger."

Scenes which take place in Paris were achieved through the use of green screen. While other scenes, such as one in which Kermit reprises "Rainbow Connection" in a rainstorm, were also filmed on a soundstage.

Principal photography was completed on February 11, 2011.

On April 26, 2011, a second unit film crew traveled to Reno, Nevada to film some exterior shots. Including a scene in the Bonanza Casino parking lot with some Muppet characters, and a small shot looking into the casino.

On July 24, 2011, the film crew returned to Hollywood Boulevard to film some re-shoots in front of the El Capitan Theatre with Jason Segal and several Muppets and extras. Amy Adams was not available for the re-shoots, so her stand-in was on the set.

Release and marketing
Walt Disney Pictures has announced that the movie will be released in US theaters on November 23, 2011. It was announced at the Walt Disney Company's 2011 investor conference that The Muppets will be packaged with a brand-new Toy Story short to be shown in theaters before the film. This will be the second time that a non-Pixar film has showcased a Pixar short before it, and the first live-action film to do so.

The film will be released in Germany on December 21, 2011, France on December 28, 2011, The Netherlands on February 15, 2012, and the United Kingdom on February 17, 2012.

Jason Segel and Amy Adams appeared at CinemaCon in March 2011 to promote the project and showcased select clips from the film. Segel also revealed that the cast will appear at Comic-Con in July 2011 to promote the picture.

Film producer David Hoberman, Muppeteer Steve Whitmire and Kermit the Frog appeared at Boston's Suffolk University in April 2011 for a Q&A and to showcase select clips from the film.

In May 2011, Kermit plugged the film in a web video reporting from the world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at Disneyland.

A teaser poster for the film was released in May 2011. The poster featured full-body versions of Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and Animal along with the tagline "they're closer than you think." Jason Segel commented on the lack of new characters on the poster stating: "Walter will be making many appearances, but we wanted the first poster to remind people how much they love the Muppets of their youth."

The first theatrical trailer for the film was a teaser attached to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which was released in the United States on May 20, 2011. Disney promoted the film under the faux guise of a romantic comedy called "Green With Envy"; this includes a mock poster for the film (with a hidden Kermit in the image), a mock Facebook page and uploading the theatrical trailer online on May 20, 2011 under the name "Green With Envy." on a mock Youtube channel. Starting May 23, the trailer was available for viewing on Disney.com. On May 24, the trailer was uploaded to the MuppetsStudio's Youtube channel. On May 25, the trailer was added to the opening page of muppets.com, as well as an image from the teaser poster.

In May 2011, the Muppets Studio changed the backgrounds of their YouTube and Twitter pages to images from the teaser poster to promote the US release date of the film. Their Facebook picture was also changed to a picture of the teaser poster, as well as the change of the YouTube icon into the "M" from the movie logo.

Teaser Trailers
The first trailer begins as if it's a typical romantic comedy about Gary and Mary. The tone shifts when the announcer lists the stars -- "Jason Segel... Amy Adams... Kermit the F-frog?" Miss Piggy then appears and the announcer again sounds confused, though applying more emphasis to this fact ("Miss Piggy?!"), and Gary says "Whoah, whoah, whoah, wait, wait, wait, stop. Are there Muppets in this movie?", now surrounded by Muppets. Kermit replies, "Well, yeah", and the trailer goes on to show short clips from the film and the logo appears. Crazy Harry blows it up, and Fozzie says that it was an expensive-looking explosion (he can't believe they had it in the budget).
 * Green with Envy

The second teaser trailer was released online on May 26, 2011; this time for The Fuzzy Pack, yet again a fake title. It shows scenes of the rundown Muppet Theater, as fake critiques appear on screen until the Muppets emerge in slow motion. A prison scene with Wanda Sykes and Danny Trejo, and one from the The Hollywood Walk of Fame also appear. On May 25, the trailer was uploaded to an official mock youtube channel, as well as a mock Facebook page. As with Green With Envy, The Fuzzy Pack trailer was available for viewing on Disney.com and was also uploaded to the MuppetsStudio's YouTube channel.
 * The Fuzzy Pack

On June 16, 2011, a third teaser trailer was released to accompany the opening of Green Lantern. As with the previous trailers, it was available for viewing on Disney.com and was also uploaded to the MuppetsStudio's YouTube channel. However unlike the earlier viral campaigns for Green with Envy and The Fuzzy Pack, the Being Green parody trailer did not generate a Facebook page or separate YouTube account. In the trailer, Gary (Jason Segel) even comments on the fake trailer gag, exclaiming: "Wait, wait wait! Stop! Is this another Muppet trailer parody? Why don't we just show a real trailer? What are we hiding? Did we make the movie in Swedish or something?" After a shot of The Swedish Chef torching some rancid food, the trailer ends clarifying that the film is "not in Swedish, we promise."
 * Being Green

Merchandise and tie-ins
Two illustrated "early reader" books based on the film along with a junior novelization are set for release in October 2011. The Muppet-tacular Ultimate Sticker Book and The Muppet Show Stage Set: A Punch Out-and-Play Model Book are also planned for release as a direct tie-in to the movie.

OPI will produce a line of Muppet nail polish during the 2011 holiday season, tieing in with the release of The Muppets.

A set of The Muppets PEZ dispensers will be released featuring Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Animal dispensers.