Warner Bros. ready for another “HANGOVER”

Director Todd Phillips will reunite with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and  Zach Galifianakis for Part III of the blockbuster comedy franchise, to open on May 24, 2013.

BURBANK, CA, March 22, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures are reteaming with Todd Phillips for “The Hangover Part III,” the third installment in the record-breaking comedy franchise, which is slated for release on May 24, 2013. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

“The Hangover Part III” will star Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, who will reprise the roles of Phil, Stu and Alan, collectively known to moviegoers as “the Wolfpack.” In the previous two films, the three friends’ attempts to plan a celebration have resulted in disaster for them, but led to a combined billion-dollar success at the worldwide box office.

In making the announcement, Robinov stated, “We are extremely pleased to have Todd Phillips and the guys back together again for another ‘Hangover,’ and we look forward to collaborating with them on another great movie.”

Phillips said, “I’m so excited to embark on another ‘Hangover’ film with Bradley, Ed and Zach. We’re going to surprise a lot of people with the final chapter we have planned. It will be a fitting conclusion to our three-part opera of mayhem, despair and bad decisions.”

Phillips is writing the screenplay with Craig Mazin, who also collaborated with him on the screenplay for “The Hangover Part II.” Phillips is again producing the film under his Green Hat Films banner, together with Dan Goldberg. Thomas Tull and Scott Budnick will serve as executive producers.

Production on the film is projected to begin in September 2012.

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures, “The Hangover Part III” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Meet Walter, newest member of “THE MUPPETS” family

Influenced by their affinity for Muppet mayhem, the filmmakers of Disney's “The Muppets” introduces Walter, a central character who’s driven by his lifelong love of the Muppets.

According to lead actor Jason Segel, Walter’s wildest fantasy is to meet the Muppets. “Walter is naive, sweet, innocent, wide-eyed—he’s very much like Kermit before Kermit became famous,” says Segel. “But he just wants to belong. He’s looking for a family, really. The Muppets are the only people he’s ever seen who were like him, so his quest is to become one of the Muppets.”

Adds Walter, who is as big a Muppet fan in real life as his character is, “I start out just wanting to meet the Muppets but then have to help Kermit get the gang back together to save Muppet Studios. It’s the role of my lifetime. In fact, it is my life.”

The movie opens in Smalltown, USA, home to Walter, brother Gary (Segel) and his girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams). It’s the kind of town where people smile a lot, give apples to teachers and break into song—just because. But the trio leaves the safety of Smalltown behind for a long-awaited trip to Hollywood—and an opportunity to visit Muppet Studios at last.

While there Walter overhears the evil plan of nefarious oil baron Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) and finds himself navigating a long-awaited, never-imagined, can’t-believe-it’s-really-happening-to-me Muppet reunion. It’s not long before the world’s biggest Muppet fan is face to face with the heart of the Muppets—Kermit the Frog. “Kermit is my all-time hero,” says Walter. “I have his poster in my room, I’ve seen everything he has ever done and meeting him was the greatest moment of my life.”

Says Kermit, “Walter gets so excited being around the Muppets. I’ve never met anyone like him…except maybe Jason Segel.”

Segel can certainly relate to Walter’s enthusiasm, but his character, Gary, shows a little too much interest in his brother’s Muppet dreams. His girlfriend Mary has her own California dreams, it turns out, and is secretly hoping for a marriage proposal during their vacation. But she is a team player and willingly jumps on board to help reunite the Muppets and save the studio.

They track down Kermit and learn that he’s lived a quiet life since the Muppets last performed together. It takes some convincing to get the now low-key frog to agree to the plan, but once Kermit realizes just how much he misses his friends, it’s “go” time.

“They embark on a huge journey around the world to find the rest of the Muppets who have gone their separate ways,” says director James Bobin.

Back together at last, the Muppets must put together the best show of their lives—no small feat considering their past efforts. And it’s been years since they last performed—rusty doesn’t begin to describe their acts. Can they break through the obstacles and create a show of a lifetime? Can they convince a network to broadcast the show? Will they raise enough money to silence Tex Richman once and for all—or will he foil their efforts and destroy the studio despite everything?

“Well, see the movie and find out for yourself!” says Miss Piggy. “Moi can’t do everything.”

Opening across the Philippines on March 21, “The Muppets” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

JASON SEGEL, the force behind Disney's “THE MUPPETS”

Comic actor Jason Segel (“I Love You, Man” TV's “How I Met Your Mother”) is the moving force behind the return of Kermit the Frog and the rest of the gang in Walt Disney Pictures' new comedy “The Muppets.” Says producer Todd Lieberman, “Jason was super passionate about the Muppets and a massive fan. He was the spark.”

Segel was so passionate about the project, he not only helped write the script, he wrote a part for himself—a part that required him to sing, dance and act opposite some of the most iconic characters in the world. “In the finale of the movie there are 200 extras, 100 dancers and 50 Muppets,” says Segel. “It was very surreal and it happened to take place on my birthday. I walked out from my trailer thinking I was coming to film, and everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday,’ including the Muppets. I kept thinking, ‘I’ve tricked everyone. Somehow I’ve made this weird childhood dream come true.’ It was the craziest thing ever.”

In the film, Segel plays Gary, the loyal brother of Walter who is probably the world's No. 1 fan of The Muppets. “Gary is from Smalltown, USA,” says Segel who created the role with himself in mind. “He’s very naive, sweet and innocent, and he’s very much in love with his girlfriend, Mary. He’s torn between his brother and growing into a new phase of maturation where it’s time to be with his girlfriend. He’s lived with his brother forever, so that is his big struggle.”

The plot thickens when the Gary, Walter and Mary (Amy Adams) decide to take a vacation. Says Segel, “The movie starts out with me and my brother, Walter, whose wildest fantasy is to meet the Muppets. My goal is to take a vacation to L.A. with my girlfriend, Mary. So we all come to L.A., and while taking a tour of Muppet Studios, which is now decrepit, we find out that they’re going to be torn down to drill for oil. So we have to find Kermit, reunite the Muppets—who have disbanded because of professional rivalries—and put on a show to raise enough money to save the studio.”

Gary throws himself into the effort, putting his relationship with Mary on the back burner—again. Will he ever be able to grow up and embrace true love?

Segel says it’s the Muppets’ sense of humor that differentiates them. “Modern comedy makes jokes at other people’s expense,” says the actor.. “The Muppets never make fun of anybody. They’re all about being good and nice and trying to make the world a better place. It’s easy to get a laugh out of making fun of somebody, but the Muppets never relied on that.”

Jason Segel first gained wide attention for his role in Judd Apatow’s hit comedy “Knocked Up.” He subsequently wrote the screenplay, and starred as Peter, for director Nicholas Stoller’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” He also served as co-producer and received a writing credit on that film’s sequel, “Get Him to the Greek.”

Segel’s other feature-film acting credits include “Bad Teacher,” “Gulliver’s Travels” and “I Love You, Man.” In addition he provided the voice for Vector in the animated hit “Despicable Me.”

On television Segel currently stars as Marshall opposite Alyson Hannigan, Josh Radnor and Neil Patrick Harris, on the hit CBS comedy series “How I Met Your Mother.” He had a recurring role as Eric on the Fox series “Undeclared,” produced by Judd Apatow. He also portrayed Nick Andopolis, a lanky, fun-loving freak dreaming of stardom as a rock-and-roll drummer on Apatow’s Emmy® Award–nominated NBC series “Freaks and Geeks.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “The Muppets” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Fans of Kermit & Gang unite for newest “MUPPETS” screen adventure!

Ranging in age from 8 to 80, Muppet fans span the globe. So it makes sense that Disney’s new comedy adventure “The Muppets” was ignited by a Muppet fan. “It started when I was a kid,” says Jason Segel who stars in the film and serves as one of the writers and producers. “The Muppets were my first comic influence and I was in love with puppetry. I just thought it was an amazing art form.”

“All comedy writers are Muppet fans,” adds co-writer Nicholas Stoller. “It’s the gateway to comedy. It’s like the first thing you try and then you slowly fall down the rabbit hole of comedy.”

A film Segel and Stoller previously collaborated on actually set things in motion, says Segel. “We ended ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ with a lavish puppet musical, and The Jim Henson Company designed the puppets. Something started growing in my belly, and Nick and I came up with this idea and pitched it to Disney. Disney liked the idea so we wrote the script.”

Enter producers David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman—each with their own affinity to all things Muppets. “I think there's always been a timeless quality to the Muppets,” says Hoberman, who cites the Muppets’ recent online smash viral video “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “These characters are as contemporary today as they were when Henson first brought them to life. I think people of all ages will respond to them on the big screen.”

Disney’s “The Muppets” will welcome a whole new generation into the world of the Muppets, and director James Bobin can attest to the positive influence these characters can have on young audiences. “I watched the Muppets at a very early age in England, and they have significantly influenced my sense of humor and what I find funny.”

Segel says it’s the Muppets’ sense of humor that differentiates them. “Modern comedy makes jokes at other people’s expense,” he says. “The Muppets never make fun of anybody. They’re all about being good and nice and trying to make the world a better place. It’s easy to get a laugh out of making fun of somebody, but the Muppets never relied on that.”

Influenced by their affinity for Muppet mayhem, filmmakers introduced Walter, a central character who’s driven by his lifelong love of the Muppets. According to Segel, Walter’s wildest fantasy is to meet the Muppets. “Walter is naive, sweet, innocent, wide-eyed—he’s very much like Kermit before Kermit became famous,” says Segel. “But he just wants to belong. He’s looking for a family, really. The Muppets are the only people he’s ever seen who were like him, so his quest is to become one of the Muppets.”

Adds Walter, who is as big a Muppet fan in real life as his character is, “I start out just wanting to meet the Muppets but then have to help Kermit get the gang back together to save Muppet Studios. It’s the role of my lifetime. In fact, it is my life.”

Says Kermit, “Walter gets so excited being around the Muppets. I’ve never met anyone like him…except maybe Jason Segel.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “The Muppets” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Sneak Peek: “THE MUPPETS”

He’s green. He has crazy friends, flippers, a penchant for pigs…and one of the most recognizable singing voices. And he’s coming to neighborhoods everywhere in 2012!

Kermit the Frog is back on the big screen, and this time, he’s teaming up with Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and newcomer Walter, plus the whole Muppet gang, for a brand-new, big-screen adventure in Disney’s “The Muppets.”

“It’s funny, upbeat and full of laughs for everyone…frogs, pigs, bears…even people,” says Kermit. “For new fans, it’s a chance to see the Muppets in action on the big screen. And for old fans it’s a chance to get together with old friends… and get a little crazy together.”

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend, Mary (Adams), from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Cooper) to raze Muppet Studios and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage a telethon and raise the $10 million needed to save the studio, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.

Disney’s “The Muppets” is directed by James Bobin (“Flight of the Conchords,” “The Ali G Show”) and produced by the Academy Award®-nominated team David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman (“The Fighter,” “The Proposal”) with a screenplay written by Segel & Nicholas Stoller (“Get Him to the Greek”). Bret McKenzie, who created, co-wrote, executive-produced and starred in the hit HBO television series “Flight of the Conchords,” is the music supervisor as well as the writer/producer of three original songs.

Honoring the Muppet tradition, celebrity cameos include Donald Glover, Leslie Feist, Alan Arkin, Kristen Schaal, Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo, Ken Jeong, James Carville, Rico Rodriguez and Judd Hirsch. “There are more cameos, but I can’t talk about them,” says Kermit. “One of the ways the Muppets get big stars to be in our movies is by promising not to tell anyone about it—besides, it’s more fun when you’re watching the movie and are surprised by who shows up.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “The Muppets” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.