Jason Segel talks Muppet movie


Jason Segel and Walter

Jason Segel and Amy Adams appeared at CinemaCon in Las Vegas last week, where they revealed details of the new Muppet movie in which they star, and which Segel also wrote and produced.

Set to open November 23, the pair play a long-dating and not-completely-happy couple who take a trip to L.A. with their third wheel friend, a new Muppet named Walter.

When they reach L.A. they find the Muppets haven't worked in years, leaving their studio in rough shape. They then attempt to save the studio from an evil oil baron by getting the Muppets back together to stage a reunion show.

Here's a few choice quotes from Segel on the film:

  • “I do not do any full frontal nudity. Kermit, on the other hand, is always full frontal.”

  • “The Muppets were my first comic influence as a kid, and I don’t know if you remember, but when you’re young, Kermit is Tom Hanks.”

  • “I realized there is a whole generation of children who haven’t gotten to have the same experience I had. The Muppets never make fun of anyone. It’s all about kindness and laughter and love and friendship. That’s been missing in a lot of movies, and to bring that back for a new generation is a real honor.”

  • "It was the hardest thing to get made that I've ever been involved in. This is a relatively high budget for a movie with puppets. It cost more than [Forgetting] Sarah Marshall, I'll tell you that. And it's such a beloved franchise. It was tricky to get everyone to agree on a script, on a budget, on a concept."

  • [On where we find the Muppets at the film's outset] “Fozzie Bear is doing a terrible lounge act in Reno, Nev., singing old Muppet songs. It’s no Vegas. And I wrote a scene for Miss Piggy hoping we would shoot in Paris, but it turned out to be incredibly easy to fake on a green screen.”

I for one can't wait for more Muppet fun when this film hits theatres in November!