The Muppets Return "Again!" to Theaters in 2014

After the smash success of the The Muppets in 2011, a new Muppets film is in the works. Having saved their dusty theater in the 2011 film, the Muppets will team up with Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Ray Liotta, and Ty Burrell to take their show on the road for The Muppets... Again! in 2014. And yes, Bret McKenzie is coming back to write bonza songs. The plot? Entertainment Weekly reports: "The Muppet repertory company [enjoys] a triumphant world tour, only to become tangled up with a criminal mastermind named Constantine, who is out to steal an enormous diamond—and who happens to be a dead ringer for Kermit."

Here's a roundup of the best coverage of the new movie we've seen so for.

It's a Frog Thing

The new movie entails capers across Europe. Entertainment Weekly interviewed Kermit the Frog. The best bit:

[EW:] And you’ve got some pretty great human co-stars again. [Kermit:] Ricky Gervais is kind of like a Muppet, if you think about it. He fits right in. He’s about our size. I actually think when this film ends it’s going to be hard to get rid of him. He keeps following me back to my hotel in London, which is very strange, but we’re thrilled to have him. Then, of course, we have Tina Fey—and it’s hard to beat Tina. I know her because I was lucky enough to get asked to do a little spot on one of the last episodes of 30 Rock. She’s playing a feisty prison guard named Nadya, which should be fun. Then we have Ty Burrell, who’s playing a French Interpol agent. But personally, I’m not going to be going to France for the French scenes. It’s best if I don’t go there. It’s a frog thing.

No Jason Segel

Jason Segel co-wrote, produced, and starred in The Muppets in 2011, thus becoming the public face of the return of the Muppets to the big screen. But he's not involved in the next movie. Muppet Wiki reports:

In a March 2012 interview, Jason Segel (co-writer, producer, and star of The Muppets) said that he will not return for the sequel, stating: "I have handed off the Muppets to my writing partner [Nick Stoller] and to James Bobin. My goal was to bring the Muppets back and I feel like I accomplished that. I feel like they're in really good hands. But it was half a decade of my life, I just want a little breather, and I know that they're going to nail it." In an April 13, 2012 article from Collider.com, Nick Stoller revealed that the film is planned to be a comedy caper, will introduce new Muppets characters, and that Disney is hoping for a Summer 2013 release [ed note: March 2014 is the new plan]. Stoller and James Bobin started writing the script on April 12, 2012; they wrote 13 pages after outlining the entire movie over the past weeks. While Nick Stoller said the film could possibly have a cameo for Jason Segel, Segel later stated that he will not appear in the film.

But there's a bright spot here: Walter, the new Muppet (Segel's brother) from the 2011 film, will return. However, the film is focused heavily on Kermit, with Walter occupying more of an ensemble role.

Ricky Gervais Speaks

"How does it feel not being able to boss people around?" the interviewer asks. Gervais: "I still do."

Gervais also told Digital Spy (emphasis added): "Honestly, this is the first time when I've really gone 'I really can't believe my luck here'. I think people think I am blasé about doing all this stuff but this tops working with De Niro."

Never Before, Never Again

As we prepare for The Muppets...Again!, let's take a look back at this performance of "Never Before, Never Again" from The Muppet Show, featuring Christopher Reeve. Well, it was supposed to be that song until Miss Piggy changed things up at the last minute.