The company founded by Jim Henson is developing three literary properties – and one of them’s a trilogy.
The first, The Doubtful Guest, is already in the pre-production stage, with Matthew Huffman penning the adaptation of the Edward Gorey tale about a strange creature that comes to stay in a family-run B&B. Appropriately, the director of Gorey rip-off (homage?) Lemony Snickett, Brad Peyton is attached to direct.
Next on the Muppet shopping list is The Boggart, a live-action family feature, from the Susan Cooper novel about a Scottish spirit who plays tricks on a family who’ve just inherited a castle. Brain Henson will call action on that one.
Finally, and best of all, Monster Blood Tattoo, a series of three books – Foundling, Lamplighter and a TBC, which follows the adventures of an orphaned boy (aren’t they all?), who decides to become and apprentice to a long line of monster bounty hunters, in a magical Victorian land known as the Half Continent.
Which sounds like the best thing ever, but is the furthest away from hitting screens – there isn’t even a writer attached yet.
If you include The Fraggle Rock Movie and The Dark Crystal 2 (which is still in the works, despite recent rumours it had been canned), Brian and the boys have quite a long to-do list. Still, we wouldn’t mind if they added another Muppet movie to the itinerary. Oh, go on.