For quite a few years The Jim Henson Company has been working on The Happytime Murders, but despite plans to shoot in 2010 and 2012, and stars likes Katherine Heigl and Cameron Diaz linked to it at various times, the project has remained stuck in development hell. This time last year it seemed things were moving forward, as Jamie Foxx was circling the lead role.
It doesn’t look like he’s involved any more, but instead another great talent has come onboard, with Variety reporting that Melissa McCarthy is set to star. She comments, “When a really good script combines puppet strippers, Los Angeles’ underbelly, and comedy, it’s like my fever dream has finally come true.”
The basic concept of the film is that it’s set in a world where puppets are second-class citizens, but just as likely to get into booze, drugs and sex as any of their human counterparts. When the puppet cast of 1980s children’s TV show The Happytime Gang begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet (who has a drinking problem), Phil, takes the case with his former human partner. It’s been descibed as Avenue Q meets LA Confidential, which is quite a mash-up.
Jim Henson’s son Brian is set to direct the movie, which is due to finally start shooting in August.
While her on-screen hubby, Ty Burrell, has made a few movies since the start of Modern Family, Julie Bowen has mainly stuck to the TV show. However, now she’s lined up a juicy role opposite Melissa McCarthy in Life Of The Party, according to 
A couple of days ago we posted the new trailer for the Ghostbusters remake/reboot. Now it’s been joined by its International counterpart, offering some new footage and a further taste of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones’s spook-hunting team, as well as the absolute dimness of Chris Hemsworth’s secretary character.
Ever since it was announced that Sony was reviving the Ghostbusters franchise with a new, all-female team, there have been some grumblers out there saying it shouldn’t have been done. That wasn’t helped by the first trailer, with many saying it made the whole thing look like a complete travesty. Now though, another trailer has arrived, which certainly shows more promise, suggesting something new while having a few callbacks to the original.
Official Synopsis: ‘Academy Award®-nominated star Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Tammy) headlines The Boss as a titan of industry who is sent to prison after she’s caught for insider trading. When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America’s latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget.
You must be logged in to post a comment.