The Weinsteins Are Making a 'Fraggle Rock' Movie
Filed under: The Weinstein Co., Family Films
Hollywood is fond of cannibalizing old cartoons and children's TV shows, but have you noticed that most of them are programs that no one cared about anyway (ahem Speed Racer ahem)? That's why today's announcement is special, because it looks like they're gonna make a film version of something that actually has a cache of devoted fans: Fraggle Rock. That's right, children of the '80s! Dance your cares away; worries for another day. The 1983-87 HBO series about an underground race of Jim Henson puppets is on The Weinstein Company's fast track for production. Cinematical reported way back in October 2006 that a writer had been found in Ahmet Zappa (son of legendary rocker Frank Zappa), but that's not who the Weinsteins are going with. (He'll be the executive producer instead.) According to Variety, the film will be written and directed by Cory Edwards, who made the mediocre and long-forgotten 2005 cartoon Hoodwinked.
Fraggle Rock will be live-action; it will be a musical; and it will be produced by the Jim Henson Co., which of course owns the rights to the characters. Variety says the TV show's five central characters, Gobo (whom Variety calls "Gogo"), Wembley, Mokey, Boober, and Red, will still be the focus. It sounds like the Weinsteins aren't interested in deviating much from the TV show's format, which is good.
No word yet on a tentative release date, but we'll definitely keep you posted. In the meantime, what do you think about this news? Are you excited? Apathetic? Apprehensive?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-13-2008 @ 9:29AM
LiqwidZero said...
Hell yes!
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5-13-2008 @ 3:03PM
SNARF said...
I am Sooooo excited about this! This is a dream come true!
5-13-2008 @ 9:38AM
nz said...
I do remember the Fraggles, and have fond memories of them. But, and this is where all of these remakes and updates fall flat, I was 7 when I made those memories. The producers have a choice to make: continue the story as-is for a young audience, in which case only a light nostalgia factor will keep me interested, or update it to appeal to the adults that remember it from their childhood, in which case it is no longer the same show.
That said, I'll end up seeing it regardless, so pay me no attention.
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5-13-2008 @ 10:01AM
Paul Arnette said...
And people wonder why The Weinstein Company is in such financial disarray...
Coming on the heels of Speed Racer, I find this news even more amusing. It would appear that Hollywood is scrapping the bottom of the franchise barrel these days.
Go, Fraggles! Go, Fraggles! Go, Fraggles, Gooooo!
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5-13-2008 @ 10:05AM
juicerino said...
Fraggle Rock was a pretty magical, special thing for me when i was young.
Im glad to hear this will be live action, and i think we might as well all have high hopes for it, haha. It really could be hilarious and awesome.
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5-13-2008 @ 10:15AM
Matty said...
Like NZ, I was just a kid when Fraggle Rock was on, so I have nostalgic memories. I purchased the season 1 DVD set when it was released, and it did not disappoint. It really holds up well and does not date itself. Henson aimed for universal themes and humor. I loaned it to friends with young kids, and they had to buy me a new set their kids loved it so much. I think this is one instance where everyone should end up happy.
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5-13-2008 @ 11:56AM
Monika said...
Too bad, I would've gotten over my Fraggle Rock distaste for some Zappa writing.
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5-13-2008 @ 12:37PM
DAVID F said...
AWESOME!
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 9:29PM
Banana said...
Sweet!!!!! Yes I also being a child of the 80's watched Fraggle Rock and loved it so I'm sure that I will totally enjoy taking a trip back to childhood. But one thing I'm not going to enjoy being reminded of will be the humiliating, mortifying local cable T.V commercial I "stared" in to promote re-runs of Fraggle Rock. Some things are just better left in 1991:)
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