The service has yet to debut, but Disney+ has already claimed some victims in its quest to become the top streaming platform on the planet. First, it was announced that a live-action fairy tale series, featuring the assorted Disney villains, was scrapped well into development. And now, it appears that the Muppets have been dragged into the fray, as one of the two streaming projects featuring the classic characters is now being completely re-imagined.
THR is reporting that co-creators Adam Horowitz, Eddy Kitsis, and Josh Gad have walked away from their proposed scripted series after creative differences arose in light of a new executive taking over the franchise. The report says upon the hiring of Disney Parks Live Entertainment senior vice president David Lightbody to take over Muppet Studios, the new boss wanted to change the overall vision for the iconic characters, which meant that the scripted project from Horowitz, Kitsis, and Gad would need to be retooled. However, those gentlemen decided to walk away from the project instead of completely changing their vision.
Apparently, what Horowitz, Kitsis, and Gad had is mind was referred to as “Muppets 1984,” and would have been a faithful sequel to the beloved “Muppets Take Manhattan” film. The series was set to be eight episodes and would have served as a totally different beast than the unscripted variety show “Muppets Now” that was announced at this year’s D23.
Now, it appears that Lightbody is going back to the drawing board on a new scripted series for the Disney+ streaming service. ‘1984’ would have been the first scripted series featuring the Muppets characters since the failed single-camera sitcom from a few years ago fizzled out.
As of now, it appears that Disney+ will only feature “Muppets Now” from the Lightbody-led production company. The service will launch on November 12 and will feature new projects from Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Pixar, and of course, Disney.
