WD - not muppets - but puppets from teh Henson family
The Happytime Murders is a 2018 American
crime comedy film directed by
Brian Henson and written by
Todd Berger from a story by Berger and Dee Austin Robertson. The film stars
Melissa McCarthy,
Bill Barretta,
Joel McHale,
Maya Rudolph,
Leslie David Baker, and
Elizabeth Banks. Set in a world where
puppets and humans co-exist, the film follows a puppet and human joint police force who must solve a recent murder spree of retired sitcom stars. The film was first announced in 2008 by
The Jim Henson Company, the production studio of
Muppets creator
Jim Henson. Various actors, including
Cameron Diaz,
Katherine Heigl and
Jamie Foxx, were approached to star before McCarthy signed on in May 2017. Filming began in
Los Angeles that September, and involved the use of over 120 puppets.
The Happytime Murders was the first film released by Henson Alternative, a banner of The Jim Henson Company that receives an R-Rating.
The Happytime Murders was released on August 24, 2018, by
STXfilms. It received mostly negative reviews from critics for its humor, performances and story, though the puppetry did receive praise. The film was a
box-office bomb, grossing $27.5 million worldwide against a $40–47 million budget. The film received six nominations at the
39th Golden Raspberry Awards, including
Worst Picture and
Worst Actress for McCarthy, who won the latter award.
Don't leave out the puppets
Or, Melissa McCarthy.