The Jim Henson Company Tackles Puppet Murder in The Happytime Game
John Squires
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The name Jim Henson isn’t exactly synonymous with horror, quite the opposite in fact, though his company is soon heading into the world of murder and mayhem with The Happytime Gang, an upcoming film that will blend live action with old-school puppetry. Read on!
Per Deadline, STX Entertainment has joined with The Jim Henson Company on the film, which doesn’t yet have a title but centers on the characters of a fictional reality show called “The Happytime Gang” – and it seems like a no-brainer that the movie will share that title.
The story is by Todd Berger and Dee Robertson with revisions that have been done by Erich and Jon Hoeber (Red and Red 2). Brian Henson, who will direct the project, noted that the movie will “take puppets to a place where we have never gone before on the big screen. We are thrilled that Adam Fogelson and his folks at STX showed the daring confidence to get behind this project.”
The story follows the puppet stars of an iconic TV show “The Happytime Gang,” who are some of the biggest celebrities around. But off-camera the family-friendly cast leads the kinds of lives that would make a tabloid writer blush. When the stars begin to be mysteriously murdered, two mismatched detectives – one a type-A, take-no-prisoners human with a secret and the other a crass, hard-drinking puppet with a connection to one of the victims – must put aside their huge differences to stop the killings and catch the culprit, all the while trying to resist the temptation to murder each other.
“This is as unique a screenplay as we have seen in a long time, with relatable characters and a fantastic story,” said Adam Fogelson, who is chairman of the STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group. “This project is a daring and original R-rated comedy with a distinctive voice that is completely unconventional and fun.”
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