The “Sesame Street” movie has tapped “Portlandia” co-creator Jonathan Krisel to direct the live-action musical, an individual with knowledge of the project tells TheWrap.
Created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett and featuring muppet characters created by Jim Henson, “Sesame Street” is one of the most important educational programs in the history of television. The series features a combination of live-action and puppetry, as well as animation and stars Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, and Elmo.
Mike Rosolio wrote the first draft of the screenplay, with Chris Galletta writing the most recent draft, which is currently undergoing revisions.
Shawn Levy is producing with Michael Aguilar. Levy has been developing the project since 2012 when 20th Century Fox held the rights. Jesse Ehrman is overseeing for Warner Bros. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the longstanding children’s program, will be involved with the development of the project.
In 2015, premium cable network HBO partnered with Sesame Workshop to air the next fives seasons of the children’s series on HBO, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and HBO NOW.
The “Sesame Street” live-action musical will be Krisel’s first studio film after spending several years on “Portlandia.” The show has received numerous nominations including three directing nominations for Krisel.
Top 13 'Sesame Street' Characters Ranked: From Elmo to Mr Snuffleupagus (Photos)
Since it launched on PBS in 1969, "Sesame Street" has brought generations of kids much joy with its colorful, relatable Muppets. But some stand out more than others.
13. Abby Cadabby Who? Exactly.
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12. Telly Nobody likes a worrywart, and Telly is the worry-est wart there is.
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11. Zoe Elmo proved to be such a popular character that the show introduced Zoe in 1993 to be his companion. But did we really need another Elmo?
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10. Rosita Rosita is most memorable for being the first regular bilingual character on "Sesame Street," but not much else.
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9. Mr. Snuffleupagus Everyone had an imaginary friend growing up, but only Big Bird's proved to be real.
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7. Bert and Ernie (tie) There's no separating this duo, not even on this list.
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6. Grover Grover doesn't speak in contractions, which should be annoying, but the character somehow manages to make it endearing.
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5. The Count The world has forgotten scores of pop culture vampires (Edward Cullen of "Twilight," we're looking at you) but we'll always remember The Count.
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4. Oscar the Grouch Oscar the Grouch represents the little bit of misanthropy that exists in all of us.
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3. Cookie Monster Who doesn't love cookies?
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2. Big Bird Tall, yellow and feathery, Big Bird is probably the most immediately recognizable "Sesame Street" character.
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1. Elmo While Big Bird may be the most recognizable, Elmo is easily the most beloved.
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TheWrap picks the TV muppets from worst to best
Since it launched on PBS in 1969, "Sesame Street" has brought generations of kids much joy with its colorful, relatable Muppets. But some stand out more than others.