Can You Picture That?

Press Release via Marketwire:

BEVERLY HILLS, CA: Empire Film Group, Inc. has acquired the motion picture production and distribution rights to "Henson," an original screenplay by Robert D. Slane that chronicles the life and achievements of Muppets creator, Jim Henson. Empire has pegged the film for production in late summer with a $30 million budget to be funded through a consortium of international presales and co-production partners.

"This is a major project about an entertainer of legendary stature and worldwide acclaim," said Dean Hamilton-Bornstein, CEO of Empire Film Group. "The script is superb and should provide a terrific roadmap for a completed film that will satisfy both mainstream audiences and critics. We're very excited about this acquisition and the commercial caliber of this project."

"Henson" covers the life of puppeteer, filmmaker and entertainment mogul Jim Henson, from his early fascination with television as a teenager, through his spectacular career and life achievements. Empire anticipates hiring a major director, such as Penny Marshall, and hopes to attract notable star cast in key roles. Bornstein will act as Executive Producer, with Empire Home Entertainment President Eric Parkinson producing the film along with Xavier Mitchell. "Jim Henson is one of the best known and most beloved entertainers of all time," said Parkinson. "His story is inspiring, tragic, heartwarming and epic, and will make for an important and entertaining motion picture. This is the sort of movie that Empire will be pursuing as we build the company into a leading independent studio."

The relativly new Empire Film Group has only a single feature film credit to it's name, January's bottom of the barrel Blonde and Blonder starring Denise Richards and Pamela Anderson-insert-hyphenate-here. Now, I understand that it's unreasonable to keep expectations low simply due to the scant track record of the film's parent production company- I mean, the first Dreamworks picture was The Peacemaker. But one glaring question keeps coming to mind though: how the hell does Empire intend to license The Muppets?

The Walt Disney Company bought The Muppet charcters in 2004, with the exception of the Sesame Street Muppets, who are property of the New York based Sesame Workshop. Disney grants The Jim Henson Company certain permissions to use the "Muppet" name, but to be fair, The Jim Henson Company is just an LLC subsidiary of Disney. If the upstart Empire can pay for the rights to the character's likenesses, then this concern is all for naught. Otherwise, the audience is left with two possible scenarios: a film devoted solely to Henson's creation of Fraggle Rock, or the story of Henson developing beloved icon Fermit the Krog, ala Hayden Christensen's "Not Bob Dylan" in George Hickenlooper's rights-plagued Factory Girl.

That Fraggle Rock movie might not be so bad. Previously on am.fm.pm: Today is Super Tuesday. Are you for Bert or Prairie Dawn? And hey! Bonus Muppet Jams!

The Muppets "Hey, A Movie! (Instrumental)"

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem "Can You Picture That?"