STX Entertainment and the Jim Henson Company are developing a black comedy and live-action hybrid that the film company sees as racy and raucous enough to bring an R-rating.
It hasn’t got one yet — that comes when the Motion Picture Association of America ratings board gets a look — or a title or voice cast. Todd Berger and Dee Robertson wrote the script, with an assist from Erich and Jon Hoeber.
Late Muppets creator Jim Henson’s son, Brian Henson, will direct the project, which tells the story of the puppet stars of “The Happytime Gang” TV show.
Family favorites on the screen, they’re a free-wheeling bunch with bad habits and scandalous secrets off-camera. When a couple of cast members are bumped off, two mismatched dicks — that’s detectives — must overcome their serious differences to catch a killer.
The first release from STX, the horror thriller “The Gift,” arrives on Aug. 7. Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall star and Joel Edgerton directs.