User:TravisBernard/The Muppets (film)

The Muppets is a 2011 American comedy film, and the first Muppets theatrical release in 11 years. In the film, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) must raise $10 million to save the Muppet Theater from Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), a businessman that plans to demolish the Muppet Theater to drill for oil. The film is directed by James Bobin, written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, produced by Martin Baker, David Furnish, Jason Segel, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, and John Scotti, and features Bret McKenzie as the music supervisor.

The movie is being distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and will be released in the United States on November 23, 2011 and the United Kingdom on February 17, 2012. The film was first announced in March 2008 and production started in September 2010.

Plot
Oil has been discovered beneath the Muppet Theater and oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to raze the Muppet Theater to drill. Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) learn about Tex Richman's plan, and try to stop him by staging The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever, raising $10 million needed to save the theater. In order to stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever, Walter, Mary, and Gary must help Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways. Fozzie the Bear 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 clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a powerful plumbing magnate. The film will feature four new musical numbers, plus several classic Muppet songs like "The Rainbow Connection" and "Mah Nà Mah Nà."

Cast

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

Muppet performers

 * Bill Barretta as Rowlf the Dog and Swedish Chef
 * Dave Goelz as Gonzo and Waldorf
 * Eric Jacobson as Animal, Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy
 * Peter Linz as Walter
 * David Rudman as Scooter
 * Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog and Statler

Development
In 2008, Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller pitched a concept for a Muppets movie to Disney Executive Vice President of Production Kristin Burr, and they were offered a deal to develop their script. The news became public in March 2008 when Variety first reported that Disney had signed a deal with Segel and Stoller, with Segel and Stoller writing the script and Stoller directing. In June 2008, Jason Segel announced that he had turned in the first draft of his script and was hopeful that the film would live up to previous Muppets movies. Later in 2008, Stoller noted that he and Segel had written an "old school Muppets movie, where the Muppets have to put on a show to save the studio." In this same interview, Stoller also confirmed that they would get as many cameos and guest stars as possible, and that Jason Segel would play a human ventriloquist.

Originally, the film was titled The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time, and an early leak of the script suggested that it would feature celebrity cameos by Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Christian Bale, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, George Clooney, Jack Black, Mel Brooks, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Rachel Ray, Bob Saget, Lisa Lampanelli, Jeff Ross, and Charles Grodin. Although early reports indicated that Stoller would direct the film, in January 2010 it was announced that James Bobin would direct the movie. In February 2010, additional details about the plot surfaced, indicating that the film would be about a villain that wanted to drill for oil underneath the old Muppet Theater, and that the only way to stop him would be to put on a show that draws ten million viewers. Reports from the summer of 2010 revealed that the production team had met with the creative heads at Pixar to fine tune the script. During the summer of 2010, it was announced that the film would be released on December 25, 2011, but in December 2010, the release date was moved to Thanksgiving 2011.

In October 2010, it was confirmed that Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and Rashida Jones would also be starring in the film. Over the next few months, several guest cameo announcements emerged, including, but not limited to Emily Blunt, Ricky Gervais, Zack Galifianakis, Billy Crystal, Jack Black, Alan Arkin, and Dave Grohl.

During the summer of 2010, Flight of the Conchords co-star Bret McKenzie flew to Los Angeles to serve as the music supervisor for the movie.

Filming
Production and filming for the movie began in late 2010, with the first set photos emerging in December 2010. The November 12, 2010 issue of Entertainment Weekly featured a 2-page spread about the new Muppet movie, including a summary of the film's concept, quotes from Segel and Bobin, the first images of Walter, and new photos of the Muppets with Jason Segel.

Hollywood Boulevard was closed for two nights in January 2011 to film the final musical number for the movie. According to SlashFilm, the shoot involved Amy Adams, Jason Segel, and hundreds of extras performing an elaborate musical number outside Disney's El Capitan Theatre. The Los Angeles Times also notes that other musical numbers will appear in the film, including Kermit singing his signature song, The Rainbow Connection.

Although 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.

Release
The movie will be released in the United States on November 23, 2011 and the United Kingdom on February 17, 2012. Originally, the film was set to be released in the United States on December 25, 2011, but it was later moved to Thanksgiving 2011.

Jason Segel and Amy Adams appeared at CinemaCon in March 2011 to promote the project, showcasing several clips from the film. Clips from the film were also shown at Suffolk University in April 2011 during a Q&A with David Hoberman, Muppeteer Steve Whitmire and Kermit the Frog. Although there has been some speculation that the cast will appear at Comic-Con, no official announcement has been made.

Marketing
In May 2011, Kermit the Frog attended the world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at Disneyland to promote the upcoming Muppets release. A spoof romantic comedy trailer for the movie was attached to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and it was later released online under the faux name Green With Envy. Two additional spoof trailers were released from May to June, including a parody of The Hangover Part II titled The Fuzzy Pack and a parody of the film Green Lantern called Being Green.