Joseph Gordon-Levitt is currently hard at work on Oliver Stone’s Edward Snowden pic, an experience that seems to have left him keen for lighter fare. Per Variety, the actor is now involved in a live-action Fraggle Rock movie for New Regency and The Henson Company. In addition to producing the feature the Don Jon star is also taking the lead role.
Here’s what Gordon-Levitt had to say on his foray into Henson’s magical kingdom:
“The first screen personas I ever loved were Henson creations, first on ‘Sesame Street,’ and then on ‘Fraggle Rock,’. Jim Henson’s characters make you laugh and sing, but they’re also layered, surprising, and wise. From Oscar the Grouch, to Yoda, to the Fraggles. I’ve never stopped loving his work, even as a young frisky man, and on into adulthood. Collaborating with Lisa Henson makes me confident we can do something that Jim would have loved. I’m grateful and excited to be working with New Regency on this project.”
The show originally landed in 1983 and charted the experiences of a bunch of underground cave-dwellers called Fraggles. A breed of Muppet, the Fraggles co-exist alongside the Doozers and Korgs. Brought spectacularly to life by the genius of Jim Henson’s puppetry, the American-British-Canadian series became a worldwide success and hence a feature film was ushered into development.
For the past decade, the proposed movie has languished in varying stages of development. New Regency, who remain attached, snagged the rights back in 2011 to craft a live-action feature along with the Montecino Company. The latter production arm has since exited the project, and coincidentally, work on the film came to a halt. It’s now believed that Gordon-Levitt’s involvement on the Fraggle Rock movie will attract more attention and hopefully generate more movement in the coming weeks.
Tell us, what do you make of Gordon-Levitt joining a Fraggle Rock live-action feature?
