LOS ANGELES, March 20 (UPI) — Joseph Gordon-Levitt has signed on to the long-anticipated Fraggle Rock movie.
The 34-year-old actor will star in a live-action film adaptation of the 1980s television series. Gordon-Levitt will also produce the project alongside New Regency and Lisa Henson of The Henson Company.
John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda) was initially attached to direct with Jim Byrkit and Alex Manugian as writers, but a new team will reportedly be hired.
“The first screen personas I ever loved were [Jim] Henson creations, first on Sesame Street and then on Fraggle Rock,” Gordon-Levitt told Variety. “Jim Henson’s characters make you laugh and sing, but they’re also layered, surprising and wise.”
“From Oscar the Grouch, to Yoda, to the Fraggles, I’ve never stopped loving his work,” he said of the renowned puppeteer. “Collaborating with [daughter] Lisa Henson makes me confident we can do something that Jim would have loved.
Fraggle Rock premiered on television in 1983, and followed a group of underground Muppet creatures called Fraggles. Henson is also known for Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, and died of a bacterial infection at age 53 in May 1990.
Gordon-Levitt last appeared as Johnny in Sin City sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. The actor is scheduled to portray real-life high-wire artist Philippe Petit in The Walk and real-life NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in Snowden this year.
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