Brian Henson's puppet comedy-thriller "Happytime Murders" from a script by Todd Berger has been now acquired by Lionsgate and is looking to get in front cameras as early as January next year.In development at the Jim Henson Co. since 2008, the project was described by the son of the late, great eponymous puppeteer as an R-rated "gritty crime thriller and a satire of the genre and a balls-out comedy" which certainly sounds like a risky buy. What kind of audience would it be looking to capture?
Set in a world where humans and puppets co-exist, the story follows a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-P.I. puppet who teams with a former human partner to take on the case of an murderer taking out the cast of an '80s children's television show called 'The Happytime Gang' one by one. Ridiculous enough to work? Early word touts it as "Avenue Q" meets "L.A. Confidential."
Co-produced by fellow Henson offspring, Lisa, the project is reportedly eyeing a January start, though that's dependent on how soon a leading star can be found. The production will also rival the other puppet-centric project in the Jason Segel-masterminded 'Muppets' movie by Nicholas Stoller, which is set to for release next Christmas.
0 comments:
Post a Comment