We now have our first look at Tina Fey’s Russian prison guard character in director James Bobin’s sequel The Muppets…Again!.  An image from the set has landed online, revealing Fey’s stern-looking character alongside Kermit decked out in what appears to be a prisoner’s uniform.  The story has been described as a caper that finds the Muppet crew in Europe where Kermit is mistaken for his jewel-heisting doppelganger named Constantine.  Ricky Gervais is the film’s male lead, Constantine’s best friend, while Ty Burrell plays an antagonistic Interpol agent.

Hit the jump to get a look at Fey in character.  The Muppets…Again! opens on March 21, 2014. [Update: Disney has asked us to take the image down, as this was not approved for release.]

The Muppets sequel has been lining up casting for the past couple months by attaching Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, and Ray Liotta to apparently scare the hell out of children.  Today, the film’s official title has been revealed: The Muppets…Again!  In the film, the gang is on a successful tour in Europe but gets into trouble when Kermit gets confused with his jewel-heisting doppelganger, Constantine.  Gervais plays Constantine’s sidekick, Fey plays a Russian prison guard, and Burrell plays an Interpol agent.  We previously reported that Gervais was the lead actor, but these roles make it sound like the Muppets are truly front-and-center in the movie.  That should please the plenty of fans who didn’t think the Muppets got enough screen time in the previous movie.

Hit the jump to check out a first look at the all-Muppet cast, the press release, and Gervais smuggling Kermit and Miss Piggy.  The Muppets…Again! opens March 21, 2014.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this evening.  First up, Ray Liotta is the latest actor to join the human cast of The Muppets sequel.  Ricky Gervais is set as the lead with Ty Burrell and Tina Fey poised to co-star, and Variety now reports that Liotta is joining the sequel in an unspecified role.  This isn’t Liotta’s first time with The Muppets, as he also appeared in 1999’s Muppets from Space.  The Europe-set film will be directed by James Bobin and production is scheduled to begin in London this month.

Hit the jump for casting news concerning the horror-comedy Kitchen Sink.

Disney has announced a slew of release date changes.  Briefly:

• The Muppets 2 will be released on March 21, 2014.
• Maleficent has been pushed back from March 14, 2014 to July 2.
• 1952, director Brad Bird’s collaboration with screenwriter Damon Lindelof, will hit theaters in 3D on December 19, 2014.
• Pirates of the Caribbean 5 has been given a July 10, 2015 release date.
• The 3D re-release of The Little Mermaid on September 13, 2013 has been removed from the schedule.
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy will be released in 3D.

Hit the jump for more details, including the confirmation of George Clooney in 1952 and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean 5. [Update: Brad Bird has now stated via Twitter that 3D has not been discussed for 1952, so Disney's press release may have been mistaken.  This doesn't mean the film absolutely won't be in 3D, just that Bird hasn't OK'd it yet.]

As the series finale of 30 Rock looms closer, creator/star Tina Fey is lining up a pretty swell gig for her next project.  Heat Vision reports that Fey is in late-stage negotiations to star as the female lead in the upcoming sequel to The Muppets.  This is welcome news, as Fey should make for a nice foil opposite male lead Ricky Gervais.  The two previously worked together in Gervais’ 2009 film The Invention of Lying, though one assumes their rapport will be more family-friendly while they’re flanked by The Muppets.

Ty Burrell is set to star as the film’s villain, a lazy Interpol inspector, and Fey will apparently be playing a Russian gulag prison guard in the Europe-set follow-up.  Given all this prison and law-breaking talk, it sure sounds like our Muppet friends may find themselves behind bars at some point in the film.  Production is set to begin later this month in London with returning director James Bobin, who also co-wrote the script alongside The Muppets scribe Nicholas Stoller.  Fey will next be seen hosting the Golden Globes with Amy Poehler this coming Sunday, January 13th.

Well here’s something unexpected. Jason Segel long ago revealed that he wouldn’t be returning for the sequel to 2011’s The Muppets, so it was assumed that Disney would be casting someone else to be the film’s “human lead” opposite the titular Muppets.  Ty Burrell was recently cast as the Europe-set film’s antagonist, a lazy Interpol inspector, but Heat Vision now reports that funnyman Ricky Gervais has been cast as the human lead in The Muppets 2.

Details on the role are being kept under wraps, but I can’t imagine it having much similarity to the character played by Segel; Gervais isn’t exactly known for being the sweet, sentimental type.  Nicholas Stoller co-wrote the script with James Bobin, who returns to direct.  Production is set to begin in January in London, so expect a slew of casting/cameo news in the coming months.  The untitled sequel to The Muppets is set for release on December 20, 2013.

Casting is underway on the sequel to Disney’s The Muppets, and Modern Family star Ty Burrell is the first actor to officially sign on to the project.  We previously heard that Christoph Waltz was in talks to play an Interpol agent in the Europe-set follow-up, but the actor’s schedule forced him to drop out of the running.  Heat Vision reports that Burrell will now take over the role, with The Muppets director James Bobin returning to direct from a script he co-wrote with Nicholas Stoller.

Plot details are under wraps, but we know that the pic is a caper and production is set to begin early next year in London.  In addition to Burrell’s Interpol agent, the story also involves a Russian Femme Fatale.  We should hear more casting news soon as the production’s start date looms closer.  The untitled Muppets sequel is set for release on December 20, 2013.

One of my favorite films of last year was director James Bobin‘s The Muppets.  Not only was the film a huge commercial hit grossing almost $160 million worldwide, The Muppets averaged an amazing 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song (Bret McKenzie‘s “Man or Muppet”).  While it might have been a while before Disney decided to release a further Muppets movie, the new film’s success led the studio to greenlight the sequel quickly and it currently has a December 20, 2013 release date (via IMDb).  As we’ve previously reported:

• The Muppet sequel is going to be a comedy caper set in Europe.
• The first film’s screenwriters Nicholas Stoller and James Bobin have been writing the sequel, with Bobin returning to the director’s chair.
• The sequel will introduce new Muppets.
• Jason Segel told me he won’t be in the film even though Stoller mentioned he might cameo. 
• Christoph Waltz is set to play an Interpol agent.

With the release date almost a year away, I figured filming must be starting soon.  I was right.  The other night I attended a Lionsgate/Summit holiday party where I ran into Muppet producer Todd Lieberman (he produced The Muppets with David Hoberman) and he gave me an update on the sequel.  Hit the jump for more.

It’s been a while since we’ve had some Muppets news, but it now appears that we’ve learned who may be playing the new film’s villain.  We know that The Muppets director James Bobin has been working on the script for the sequel with Muppets co-writer Nicholas Stoller, and now Variety’s Marc Graser reports via Twitter that Oscar winner Christoph Waltz is set to play an Interpol agent in the film.  Stoller previously revealed that the film will be a caper, and Graser adds that the story will find the Muppets “running around in Europe.”

It’s a minor bit of news with few details, but Bobin, Stoller, and Jason Segel knocked last year’s redo out of the park so I’m eager to see where they take the characters in the sequel.  Segel won’t have a hand in the script this time around, but it’s possible that he’ll make a cameo in the follow-up.  Hopefully we hear more Muppets 2 news soon.

Opening this Friday, April 27th is director Nicholas Stoller’s comedy The Five-Year Engagement.  The film reunites Stoller with his Forgetting Sarah Marshall star Jason Segel and follows a couple (played by Segel and Emily Blunt) through the ups and downs of their extended engagement.  The excellent ensemble cast also includes Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans, David Paymer, Mimi Kennedy, Jacki Weaver, Jim Piddock, Kevin Hart, Brian Posehn and Mindy Kaling.

I got to visit the set earlier this year where I previously spoke with Stoller and producer Rodney Rothman, but recently I sat down with Stoller again to talk about the film and much more.  During the course of our interview, Stoller talked about how well women have been responding to the movie, basing the characters on real life people, improv vs. sticking to the script, whether he’ll release an extended director’s cut on the Blu-ray/DVD, deleted scenes, the status of The Muppets sequel and whether they’ll introduce new Muppets, his new TV pilot, and his favorite movie, actor and director.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

It’s hard to believe that a few years ago, The Muppets weren’t a priority for Walt Disney Studios.  How the times have changed.  That’s because after director James Bobin, co-writer and star Jason Segel, and co-writer Nicholas Stoller delivered both a critical and commercial hit (The Muppets made almost $160 million worldwide not counting home video or merchandise), the studio decided to bring back Bobin and Stoller for the sequel.  However, while we knew that Segel wouldn’t be coming back (read why here), not much was known about the sequel and the status of the script.  So when I sat down with Stoller earlier today at The Five-Year Engagement junket for our partners at Omelete, I asked what’s the status of the film.  Thankfully, Stoller gave me some big updates:

• The Muppet Sequel is going to be a comedy caper.
• Disney really wants the sequel and they want it as soon as possible.  Stoller says Disney wants to release it summer 2013 but he doesn’t think that’s realistic.
• Jason Segel might cameo.
• The sequel will introduce new Muppets.
• Bobin and Stoller started writing the script yesterday. They wrote 13 pages after outlining the entire movie over the past few weeks.

Hit the jump for more.

The Muppets finally returned to the big screen last year in a big way with director James Bobin’s The Muppets.  You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who downright hated the movie, as The Muppets was a funny, loveable ode to the classic characters.  Jason Segel had a huge hand in bringing them back to the big screen, as he got the ball rolling on the project as an executive producer and co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Stoller.  Just the other day we heard that Disney was moving forward on a sequel to The Muppets, but given his busy schedule juggling How I Met Your Mother and his film projects, Segel wouldn’t have a hand in the screenplay this time around.  Stoller and Bobin are writing the follow-up, but it was hard to imagine that Segel wouldn’t at least reprise his role as Gary.

Earlier today, Steve got the chance to speak with Segel at the press day for the upcoming dramedy Jeff, Who Lives at Home, and the actor confirmed that not only will he not be co-writing the Muppets sequel, he also won’t be starring in it. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Pre-production is moving forward on a sequel to The Muppets (cue Kermit’s “Yaaaay!”), but Jason Segel won’t be attached as a writer this time around.  According to Vulture, director James Bobin and original co-write Nicholas Stoller will handle the script for the sequel.  However, Segel won’t have time to work on the screenplay due to his commitments to How I Met Your Mother, his burgeoning film career, and doing publicity for the upcoming comedies The Five-Year Engagement and This Is Forty.  It’s a bit of a bummer since he and Stoller were so gung-ho on getting the Muppets back to the big screen, but there’s still a chance he could star in the sequel if the script has a place for him.

One of the great things about The Muppets is that Segel didn’t make the movie all about his character.  Gary’s got a character arc, but the film really belongs to Walter and Kermit.  While I have nothing against Segel, I can see a Muppets sequel without Gary.  Now on the other hand, if Bret McKenzie doesn’t come back to do the music, then I’ll be concerned.