Disney Has No Idea What To Do With The Muppets, But A Miss Piggy Movie Is A Great Start

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The Muppets are amongst the biggest cultural icons of the 20th century, stars of some great movies, and part of one of the coolest cinematic magic tricks — puppetry. Forget photorealistic CGI or motion capture that makes an animated character feel alive; when you see Kermit the Frog, you know with 100% certainty that is a living, breathing frog that walks around naked.

As famous as the Muppets are, they're also working actors, and like many working actors, they've been severely affected by the tectonic shifts in Hollywood — the strikes, the consolidations, and the studio acquisitions. Ever since Disney purchased the rights to the Muppet library and the working rights of its titular troupe, the studio has fumbled almost every opportunity to bring the characters back to the screen. Sure, 2011's "The Muppets" with Jason Segel was a hit and even won an Academy Award, but other than that, we've only gotten a (really great, honestly) sequel that was a financial disappointment and a so-so workplace sitcom that failed to understand what truly makes the Muppets work.

Still, it appears we may finally be entering a great new era for the Muppets. (A Great Gonzo Era, if you will.) Right now, the Muppets are performing on Broadway as special guests on Rob Lake's magic show. Elsewhere, a "Muppet Show" revival special starring Sabrina Carpenter has been slated for 2026, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg serving as executive producers.

Now, we've learned of another project that threatens to give Muppets fans hope of a brighter future. On the "Las Culturistas" podcast with Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, Jennifer Lawrence revealed that she is producing a Miss Piggy movie with Emma Stone, as written by Tony-winner Cole Escola. That's right, Miss Piggy is coming to our screens, and she wants her Oscar.

The Muppets deserve the world

There are currently no details on what this Miss Piggy movie will be about, nor is there even confirmation that Disney and The Jim Henson Company will allow it to be made. Even so, the sheer level of talent involved is quite encouraging.

For one, Stone has become a rather successful producer through her company Fruit Tree, having given us fantastic independent movies and shows like "The Curse," "Problemista," and "I Saw the TV Glow." Meanwhile, Lawrence's production company Excellent Cadaver (great name) helped make the fun, and successful, "No Hard Feelings."

Still, it's arguably Escola's involvement that's most exciting. Escola is best known for their role in the fantastic and criminally underseen comedy "Search Party" and, in particular, their Tony Award-winning Broadway play "Oh, Mary!" They're also set to play the fan-favorite character Mr. 2 Bon Clay in the live-action "One Piece" series in an excellent piece of casting. Suffice it to say, Escola's experience in extravagant, maximalist cabarets makes them the perfect choice to pen a movie about the biggest Hollywood diva of them all: Miss Piggy.

Mind you, this is but one small step towards doing justice by these beloved characters. There needs to be a bigger effort by the Disney corporation to stop leaving money on the table and allow the Muppets to be stars again, like by adapting more classic novels to the big screen.