While we’re pleased to see the Jim Henson Company continuing to expand its filmmaking horizons, the team’s latest announcement does have us worrying whether Kermit – heretofore the company’s most famous amphibian actor – will throw a diva fit at the news. Because the new Henson project is an adaptation of children’s books series Frog And Toad.
Originally written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel in the 1970s, the books chronicle the exploits of a pair of web-footed friends who are, less-than-shockingly, a frog and a toad. The book’s tales are easy-to-comprehend slice-of-life stories, with the pair flying a kite, cleaning a house and arguing about the shortcomings of string theory. All right, maybe not the last one.
Craig Bartlett, a man no stranger to writing for a younger audience (he’s worked on US kids’ shows such as Dinosaur Train, Sid The Science Kid and Hey Arnold!) is on script duties, while Hoodwinked writer / director Cory Edwards, who has been writing the Fraggle Rock film, is on board to call the shots.
“Frog And Toad has tremendous value with parents who read these charming stories when they were children and are now sharing them with their own kids,” says Lisa Henson in a statement via Variety. “With such high calibre talent on board, the delightful and funny adventures of these two great friends – with a nod to the classic ‘buddy movie’ – will bring a whole new audience to their big screen debut."
But if they do (frog)spawn a franchise, we wonder whether Kermit would be willing to make a cameo at least. And speaking of Kermit, look out for him on this coming week's **Empire **podcast. Yes, really.