Muppets Live Another Day Not Moving Forward At Disney+

The return of The Muppets has hit a snag. The Disney+ series, Muppets Live Another Day, which received a pilot order, has been scrapped by the streamer. The series was to come from Frozen’s Josh Gad and Once Upon a Time creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis.

The decision to not move forward on the series seems to be a difference of opinion over the creative direction of the show. There was a discrepancy between the writing team’s creative vision and that of the top brass at Disney-owned Muppet Studio, which last year became part of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products in a company reorganization.

Josh Gad wrote the following message on his Instagram about scrapping the project:

View this post on Instagram

Misinformation is my least favorite kind of information so I thought I’d take a minute to clarify some news that broke today. After a little over a year and a half of working on a project called “Muppets Live Another Day,” @adamhorowitzla #eddykitsis and I have decided, with a heavy heart, to walk away. Some times creative differences are just that. The project, with original songs by Bobby Lopez and Kristen Lopez was to be directed by the great Jason Moore, (director of “Avenue Q” and “Pitch Perfect”). It was meant to be a limited event series that picked up a year after “Muppets Take Manhattan” and was essentially about what happens after you’ve reached the end of the rainbow. It was going to be Muppets by way of Stranger Things and feel like a movie spread over 6-8 episodes. Part of the joy for us, by placing the Muppets in the middle of the 1980’s, was to subvert and comment on our current love for all things nostalgia while at the same time allowing the characters to tell a story that would ultimately lead to and end in present day, revealing some secrets along the way. It has been one of the great joys of all of our lives to write words for these iconic characters. We wish this franchise all the best and thank our partners at Disney+ and ABC Studios for the opportunity to develop something so fun and outside the box. They have been nothing but supportive and terrific and we can’t wait to play again in other sandboxes. While it is sad, I have no doubt this franchise, under its new leadership will find new and wonderful stories to tell. My only hope is that one day you can all hear the BRILLIANT music by Bobby and @kristenlopez5681 wrote for Kermit and company. The music is next level good. In the meantime, Adam, Eddy and I are already cooking up new fun ideas that we cannot wait to share. Until then, long live “The Muppets.” They have given us joy for over 40 years and I have no doubt they will continue to bring us joy for the next 40 years.

A post shared by Josh Gad (@joshgad) on Sep 9, 2019 at 10:42pm PDT

Muppets Live Another Day was to pick up right where 1984’s The Muppets Take Manhattan left off and focus on Kermit as he must bring the Muppets back together (after being disbanded) to help locate the missing Rowlf.

The Muppets brand isn’t totally dead at Disney+. There is a reimagining of the classic The Muppet Show was announced at D23 called Muppets Now, a short-form “unscripted” show, featuring celebrity guests. It will debut on Disney+ in 2020.