It’s time to play the music… well, almost! Earlier today, awaiting fans got to see brand new images of the upcoming Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem. The photos, which can be viewed below, not only show the Electric Mayhem in all their weird and wild glory, but also a first look at the human cast that will be accompanying them on their musical journey.
The Muppets Mayhem follows the star-studded Electric Mayhem band as they record their first-ever album. Accompanying them are Nora (Lilly Singh), an aspiring record producer, her sister Hannah (Saara Chaudry), and the Electric Mayhem fanatic, Gary Moogowski (Tahj Mowry). The show is co-created by Muppets alumni Bill Barretta, who has been working with the Muppets team since 1991, along with Jeff Yorkes and Adam F. Goldberg. The latter of the two contributed to the screenplay for 2005’s The Muppets Wizard of Oz. Goldberg has stated with Entertainment Weekly that their goal for The Muppets Mayhem is to expand more possibilities between Disney+ and The Muppets. Goldberg comments below.
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“To us, this is an IP that’s as big as Star Wars or Marvel. I mean, they have Kermit.”
The Mayhem Began From A Show
The Muppets Mayhem
According to Barretta, the idea for a show centered around The Electric Mayhem started at, of all places, a music festival! In 2016, the Muppet band played a set at the Outside Lands music festival. Since the death of Jim Henson, Barretta took over the role of puppeteering the band’s keyboardist, Dr. Teeth. During the performance, Barretta began to ponder on the storytelling possibilities for the characters.
“It was unbelievable, it was … one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had with the Muppets. There was something like 30,000 people that came to the park. I thought, ‘Well, there’s something there.’ What if this band went on the road? What if the band went on tour? And so, I started developing an idea for a show about the band because we don’t know that much about them.”
While Barretta started wondering during a show, Goldberg and Yorkes began asking those same questions. The two college friends had apparently been brainstorming on the possibilities for the characters for the past eight years. Goldberg comments with Entertainment Weekly.
“Jeff conceived the whole thing. He’s an editor, so he cut a whole sizzle reel to convince me to get on board. And then that was the sizzle we used to actually sell this thing.”
Up Close and Personal With The Band
The Muppets Mayhem
While all properties involving The Muppets involve a whacky world populated by rats and chickens and whatevers, Goldberg says not to expect that here.
“This is just about the band specifically. We don’t have that deep bench of characters like when you do The Wizard of Oz or Treasure Island or A Christmas Carol. You could tell this giant story with the hundreds of characters that they have. We’re telling a very small story about this band and where they’ve been and where they’re going. It is about the band and not the tone of a variety show.”
Yorkes chimes in with the power of ‘less is more’ for the series.
“We have the freedom to go anywhere with these characters — they’re not as well-known as the core characters. People recognize them, but we have the freedom to fill out their backstory and do whatever we want.”
While this news is sure to cause some polarization among Muppet fans, this does leave many possibilities open. While the history of the Muppets has its share of dud movies and shows, character-driven stories have come out strong in the past. Plus, if the show ends up being a success, then it opens up the doors for more fun and focus on other favorites that haven’t gotten the spotlight in some time. After all, there’s more to the Muppets than Kermit and the gang!
There is currently no news on a release date for The Muppets Mayhem, but hopefully more news is coming soon.
You can view the original article HERE.
