Is he a Muppet or a man? Ricky Gervais is about to find out. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gervais is in talks to star in the upcoming sequel to 2011’s hit The Muppets. The Emmy-winning 52-year-old actor/writer/comedian/creator of The Office would join Modern Family‘s Ty Burrell and Django Unchained‘s Christoph Waltz for the sequel, which is slated to begin production in January. The untitled sequel will take the famed Muppets on a European adventure and will once again be chock full of celebrity cameos, in addition to the main stars. (Gervais’ reps confirmed to Hollywood.com that the star is, in fact, in talks.)
Gervais — who is no stranger to kid-friendly follow-ups like Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and hanging out with puppets (real or otherwise) — would reportedly have a leading man role on par with the one Jason Segel had in the original. (Muppet enthusiast Segel is not taking part in the sequel, though James Bobin, the director of the original, is back on board.) Gervais actually had a part in the original film, but it was cut.
“The nature of Gervais’ character is unknown because the script is being kept secret,” THR reports, adding, “Also unclear is whether the part calls for singing, a requirement for the first movie.” While he may not play nice with the celebs who make appearances in his films, if he’s required to sing, he’s already had experience crooning with Elmo. Watch his adorably memorable visit to Sesame Street
[Photo credit: PBS]
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