Brian Henson helming The Happytime Murders

Puppet noir from the creators of Kermit

Oct 15th 2008 By Total Film

While the Henson Company is best known for The Muppets, it has occasionally dabbled in more grown up fare like The Dark Crystal. But The Happytime Murders, which Brian Henson will direct, is something else entirely.

True, puppets are still involved, but this is more Avenue Q than Sesame Street, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Written by Todd Berger, the film plot unspools in a world where puppets and humans live together, albeit with the fuzzy friends seen as second-class citizens.

Puppet Murder

When the cast of an ‘80s TV show known as The Happytime Gang start getting murdered, a former LAPD officer-turned-private eye with a drinking problem is dragged in to investigate. Oh, and did we mention he’s a puppet too?

Henson will make the movie for the company’s Henson Alternative banner, and is going out of its way to play up the pic’s absurdist qualities. Because the regular muppets are all so sensible?

Full puppet nudity ahoy! Still, we’re pretty sure it won’t be as crazy as Meet The Feebles.