Muppets Most Wanted is a 2014 American musical crime comedy film, directed by James Bobin, and written by Bobin and Nicholas Stoller. It is a sequel to The Muppets (2011) and the eighth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey, alongside Muppet performers Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel and Peter Linz. In the film, the Muppets become involved in an international crime caper while on a world tour in Europe.
The majority of the production team behind The Muppets (2011) returned for Muppets Most Wanted, including Bobin and Stoller. Bret McKenzie and Christophe Beck also returned to compose the film's songs and musical score respectively. Principal photography commenced in January 2013 at Pinewood Studios in England. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films.
Muppets Most Wanted had its world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 11, 2014, and was released theatrically in North America on March 21, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film made less than its predecessor, grossing $80 million against a budget of $50 million. It received generally positive reviews from critics who praised its humor and soundtrack.
Plot Following their last adventure, the Muppets are unsure of their next move. Their new tour manager, Dominic Badguy, suggests a world tour. Unknown to them, Dominic is secretly working for Constantine, the world's number one criminal who bears a striking resemblance to Kermit the Frog. After escaping from a Siberian Gulag, Constantine contacts his subordinate Dominic, and they hatch a plan to use the Muppets' tour as a cover for a series of heists. During the tour's first stop in Berlin, a stressed Kermit is ambushed by Constantine. The criminal slaps a fake mole on Kermit, making him look like the fugitive, and has him sent to the Siberian Gulag in his place. Constantine then takes Kermit's spot, fooling most of the Muppets (except Animal), while Dominic secures them fancy venues that conveniently sit near high-value targets.
In the Gulag, Kermit's escape attempts are thwarted by prison guard Nadya, who puts him in charge of the prison talent show, where he bonds with the inmates. Meanwhile, on tour, Constantine and Dominic use the concerts as a distraction to steal valuable art. Their crimes attract the attention of Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon and CIA agent Sam Eagle, who team up to investigate. The tour, now diverted to Madrid and Dublin, continues as a front for Constantine's master plan: to steal the British Crown Jewels. However, Walter and Fozzie Bear grow suspicious, discovering Dominic is bribing critics and realizing the impostor is not the real Kermit. After being attacked by Constantine, Walter, Fozzie, and Animal (who was aware of Constantine's deception from the start) escape and decide to travel to Siberia to rescue Kermit.
Constantine proposes to Miss Piggy, planning a wedding at the Tower of London as the perfect distraction for the final heist. While Dominic — revealed to be Jean's nemesis, "the Lemur" — steals the Crown Jewels, Kermit, rescued from the Gulag by his friends, storms the wedding to expose Constantine. After Kermit tries to stop Constantine, Miss Piggy asks both frogs if they will marry her, which ends in Constantine's cover being blown. Constantine then reveals himself to the others and has placed a bomb on Miss Piggy’s ring and Beaker stops the bomb with his magnetic machine.
Constantine captures Miss Piggy and sends her to the roof to escape. Dominic tries to double cross Constantine, but forgets the first rule of it by telling him about the double cross. It backfires on him as Constantine blows up the helicopter doors, which sends Dominic flying out of the helicopter. The helicopter tries to fly away, but the Muppets form a ladder and stop it in its place. Kermit manages to climb up to the helicopter, but is stopped by Constantine holding a gun. Miss Piggy breaks free and stops Constantine by whacking him all over the place. Constantine and Dominic are arrested. Nadya and her guards track Kermit to London, but upon seeing how much the Muppets need him, she drops the charges. The world tour concludes with a final show back at the Gulag, featuring the imprisoned villains in the prison talent show.
Cast Ricky Gervais as Dominic Badguy/The Lemur ( ), the world's second most wanted criminal and Constantine's accomplice who poses as the manager of a fictional international talent agency. Ty Burrell as Jean Pierre Napoleon, an Inspector Clouseau-esque French Interpol agent who works with Sam Eagle on finding Constantine. Tina Fey as Nadya, a high-ranking prison guard at Gulag 38B who is obsessed with Kermit the Frog.
Muppet performers Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog, Foo-Foo, Statler, Beaker, Lips, Rizzo the Rat, Link Hogthrob, the Newsman, Andy Pig and Gulag Prisoner (onscreen cameo) (Additionally, Kermit is portrayed by Jim Henson in a scene featuring archival material from Sesame Street and The Muppet Movie.) Eric Jacobson as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal and Marvin Suggs Dave Goelz as Gonzo the Great, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Waldorf and Randy Pig Bill Barretta as Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear, Big Mean Carl, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, The Swedish Chef, Carlo Flamingo, Baby Boss and Leprechaun Security Guard David Rudman as Scooter, Janice, Miss Poogy, Bobby Benson, Wayne and Thingy-Thing (Puppeteer) (in the "I Can Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu)" number) Matt Vogel as Constantine, '80s Robot, Sweetums, Floyd Pepper, Pops, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Uncle Deadly, and Dr. Julius Strangepork Peter Linz as Walter, Manolo Flamingo, Finger-snapping prisoner in "The Big House" number, and Baby Louise Gold as Annie Sue and Kangaroo
Cameo guest stars Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Salma Hayek, Saoirse Ronan and Christoph Waltz appear as themselves.
Jemaine Clement plays The Prison King; Danny Trejo, Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl, Ray Liotta, Tom Hiddleston and Josh Groban#Soundtrack appear as Gulag 38B inmates. Stanley Tucci plays Ivan, a Gulag 38B Watchtower Guard.
James McAvoy, Chloë Grace Moretz, Miranda Richardson, Russell Tovey, Mackenzie Crook, Toby Jones, Rob Corddry, Hugh Bonneville, Tom Hollander, Sean Combs, Celine Dion, Zach Galifianakis, Frank Langella, Ross Lynch, Til Schweiger and Usher also appear in minor cameos.
Some actors filmed scenes that were cut from the theatrical film release, but were later restored on the film's DVD and Blu-ray release. The actors include: Dexter Fletcher and Peter Serafinowicz as Gulag guards, and Bridgit Mendler, Debby Ryan, Jake Short, and Tyrel Jackson Williams as wedding guests.
Production Development In March 2012, after the critical and commercial success of The Muppets, Walt Disney Studios negotiated a deal with James Bobin and Nicholas Stoller to direct and write, respectively, an eighth installment. Disney green-lit the film on April 24, 2012. Along with Brian Henson, Bobin is the only other person to have directed two Muppets films.
Writing began in April 2012 after a couple of weeks of outlining. Jason Segel, co-writer and star of the previous film, opted not to be involved in the eighth entry, citing that he had accomplished his ambition of bringing the characters to the forefront with the 2011 film. Despite this, Bobin and Stoller quickly began work on the film based on Disney's demand. Taking on the form of a caper, the film was inspired by both The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan as well as The Pink Panther and The Thomas Crown Affair. Bobin said that the film was "a tip of the hat to the old-school crime capers of the '60s, but featuring a frog, a pig, a bear, and a dog—no panthers, even pink ones—along with the usual Muppet-y mix of mayhem, music and laughs".
The first actor to be attached to the film was Christoph Waltz in the role of an Interpol inspector. Waltz dropped out due to scheduling conflicts (though he would end up appearing in a cameo appearance as himself) and was replaced by Ty Burrell. In December 2012, Ricky Gervais confirmed his casting. Tina Fey was later confirmed in January of the following year.
Filming Originally commissioned under the title The Muppets ... Again!, principal photography began in January 2013, at London's Pinewood Studios in Iver, Buckinghamshire. Filming also took place at the Tower of London, a site where the Crown Estate rarely grants permission to do so. Additional filming locations in London included Leicester Square, Tower Hill, the Richmond Theatre, Wilton's Music Hall, Freemasons' Hall and The Historic Dockyard, Chatham. In addition to the United Kingdom, scenes were also shot at Union Station, the Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Studios lots, and on Hollywood Boulevard (to recreate the previous film's ending) in Los Angeles. On June 13, 2013, the title of the film was changed from The Muppets ... Again! to Muppets Most Wanted, although the original title is mentioned in the opening song.
The production design was done by Eve Stewart, who took a tongue-in-cheek approach to each country setting while also being influenced by the retro style of "crime capers of the '60s and '70s". Rahel Afiley returned as the costume designer, compiling the wardrobe for both Muppet and human characters. In addition to Afiley's own creations, English fashion designer Vivienne Westwood also contributed four outfits for Miss Piggy while United States retailer Brooks Brothers created more than 200 items for the male cast. Discussing Miss Piggy's wedding gown, Westwood said, "It's called the Court dress and is inspired by 17th-century English royalty and the court of King Charles II. It has been designed ... in a white pearl sequin fabric made from recycled water bottles."
Post-production
Visual effects were done primarily by The Senate Visual Effects. The effects studio worked on 425 shots that included CG builds and set extensions, matte paintings, particle and laser effects, animation, and rod removals. Additional visual effects work was done by Double Negative, Factory VFX, and Nvizible. As with the previous installment, the film required blue screen for scenes that required digital compositing. While green screen is more traditional for color keying, the screen's shade of green would clash with Kermit and therefore be unusable; Sam Eagle's shade of blue is suitable on blue screen.
Audio mixing and editorial services were done by Todd Soundelux and 424 Post. Based out of Todd-AO's Santa Monica facility, Kevin O'Connell and Beau Borders worked on the film as re-recording mixers alongside 424 Post's supervising sound editors Kami Asgar and Sean McCormack.
The first assembly cut of the film ran around two and a half hours.
The film was dedicated to longtime Muppet performer Jerry Nelson, who died during the film's development, and Jane Henson, who died two months into production.
Music
The musical score for Muppets Most Wanted was composed by Christophe Beck, with additional songs by Bret McKenzie. A soundtrack album was released by Walt Disney Records on March 18, 2014. It features six original songs by McKenzie as well as re-recordings of contemporary music and past Muppet songs, including "Together Again" from The Muppets Take Manhattan. A separate album entirely containing Beck's score (paired with the score for The Muppets, also composed by Beck) was released by Walt Disney Records and Intrada Records on April 15, 2014.
Release Muppets Most Wanted held its world premiere on March 11, 2014, at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. The film was theatrically released in the United States on March 21 and in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2014. Theatrically, the film was accompanied by Pixar's Monsters University short Party Central.
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