Two of the driving forces behind the upcoming romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall have been hired to spearhead the next Muppet movie, according to Daily Variety. Writer/actor Jason Segel and director Nick Stoller will co-write the script and Stoller will direct for Disney. The project came about when the duo teamed with The Jim Henson Co. for a puppet scene in Sarah Marshall.
Segel, whose character in Sarah Marshall writes a puppet musical based on Dracula, pitched his idea for a Muppet film to Disney and got a deal in the room. Little is known about the concept at this point.
A member of the Judd Apatow camp, Segel appeared in the television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared before landing a plumb role as Seth Rogan’s smooth-talking loser roommate in Apatow’s smash hit comedy Knocked Up. Sarah Marshall marks his feature writing debut. He will next star in DreamWork’s I Love You, Man, and will reteam with Stoller for a Universal comedy titled Five-Year Engagement.
