Disney has almost an entire century of history dating back to its founding in the 1920’s that includes thousands of characters. While the traditional cast associated with the brand was created by Walt Disney and company way back when, others were born over the years by the virtue of countless creative minds. Most notably among these creations is The Muppets, a group of rather strange and unique puppets crafted by Jim Henson in the 1950’s long before Disney’s empire was anywhere near where it is today. They made their debut in 1955 on the children’s puppet show Sam and Friends, also a creation of Henson’s, and nearly seven decades later Kermit the Frog and friends remain a quintessential piece of pop culture. Now Disney will pay their respects to the life of the man responsible for the iconic characters that comprise The Muppets in the upcoming biopic, Muppet Man.
The upcoming project seemingly could not come at a better time with last year being the 30th anniversary of his passing. Henson died at the age of 53 from a severe case of pneumonia, relatively young by the standards of modern medicine but long enough to establish a lengthy resume. He worked up until the day he died, directing notable films in the 1980’s such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth and the television series Fraggle Rock. While his passing was untimely to say the least, he left behind a legacy far greater than himself that will be explored in greater detail in Muppet Man. The project is set to be written by Michael Mitnick, best known for writing the screenplay for 2014’s The Giver.
Henson’s mind was always active clearly, and this upcoming biopic should pay homage to the genius mind behind all of these projects. The Jim Henson Company will co-produce alongside Disney to ensure that, with the project reportedly already in the midst of production and Henson’s daughter, Lisa Henson, attached as a producer. While it is anyones guess who will play Henson himself, there is likely to be a plethora of talented actors ready to take on the challenge. Until that is figured out, fans will have to eagerly await further updates on Muppet Man.
