The Weinstein Co. has signed on to distribute the Fraggle Rock feature film being developed by the Jim Henson Co., according to Daily Variety. Cory Edwards, who previously directed the independent animated comedy Hoodwinked!, has been tapped to script and helm the musical project, which will feature a mix of live-action and puppetry or CG animation.
Created by the late Jim Henson, Fraggle Rock debuted on HBO in 1983 and garnered multiple awards and a global following over five seasons. The show reinforced the concepts of mutual respect and peace by showing cooperation and conflict resolution among the different inhabitants of the Rock’the Fraggles, the Doozers and the Gorgs. While felt puppets interacted with human characters in the series, the movie may be more animated as the Jim Hensons Co. has been focused on further developing its proprietary technology that allows puppeteers to manipulate computer-generated characters in real time.
The storyline for the movie takes Fraggles Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red on their first adventure outside of Fraggle Rock, where they interact with the strange alien beings known as humans. Ahmet Zappa, author of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless and son of late alternative rock icon Frank Zappa, is exec producing the film with Brian Inerfeld. Production will be overseen by Henson co-CEOs Brian and Lisa Henson.
With the box-office success of Hoodwinked!, The Weinstein Co. enlisted brothers Corey and Todd Edwards and co-writer Tony Leech to script Doogal, its largely overlooked American reworking of the Brit kid flick Sprung! The Magic Roundabout. The team is currently developing Hoodwinked 2: Hood vs. Evil, while Corey Edwards and Leech spearhead the Weinsteins’ upcoming CG-animated feature Escape From Planet Earth. Leech will make his directorial debut on the film about a neurotic alien who must lead a motley crew of intergalactic species out of captivity in Area 51.
