Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 'Fraggle Rock': Why he's the right person for the job
Gordon-Levitt will reportedly produce and star in a movie adaptation of the 1980s TV show created by Jim Henson.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt poses at the premiere of Don Jon,' which he directed, wrote, and starred in, during the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP
Those who have seen movies like “500 Days of Summer” know that Joseph Gordon-Levitt can dance. Now he may be dancing with some creatures who live in a cave.
According to Variety, Gordon-Levitt will star in and produce a film adaptation of the Jim Henson TV series “Fraggle Rock.” “Fraggle” aired from 1983 to 1987 and centered on a group of creatures named Fraggles who live in caves. Other creatures called Doozers also live in the caves and creatures known as Gorgs live nearby. Fraggles mostly spend their time in leisure, while Doozers work hard. People are known as “silly creatures” in the “Fraggle” world.
“Fraggle” was created by Jim Henson of the Muppets. He also served as one of the writers and directors.
“The first screen personas I ever loved were Henson creations, first on ‘Sesame Street,’ and then on ‘Fraggle Rock,'” Gordon-Levitt said, according to Variety. “Jim Henson’s characters make you laugh and sing, but they’re also layered, surprising, and wise. From Oscar the Grouch, to Yoda, to the Fraggles. I’ve never stopped loving his work, even as a young frisky man, and on into adulthood. Collaborating with [Jim Henson’s daughter] Lisa Henson makes me confident we can do something that Jim would have loved. I’m grateful and excited to be working with New Regency on this project.”
Henson’s characters have done well recently at movie theaters. Actor Jason Segel wrote and starred in a new “Muppet” movie titled “The Muppets” that was released in 2011 – that movie did well at the box office and was fairly well-received critically, currently holding a score of 75 out of 100 at the review aggregator website Metacritic. A 2014 follow-up without Segel, “Muppets Most Wanted,” did less well and currently has a score of 61.
If the movie version of “Fraggle” has dancing and singing, Gordon-Levitt will be a great fit for the job. Those who tuned into the 2013 Oscars will remember the actor dancing and singing to the Frank Sinatra song “High Hopes” along with Broadway veteran and “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe and that year’s host, Seth MacFarlane of “Family Guy.” When Gordon-Levitt hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2012, he took on the song “Make ‘Em Laugh” from the 1952 musical “Singin’ in the Rain.” In addition, Gordon-Levitt memorably led a crowd in a dance routine in the romantic film “Summer” and 20th Century Fox reportedly wanted Gordon-Levitt and actor Channing Tatum to star in a “Guys and Dolls” remake in 2013, though Tatum said at the time, “There's no script, there's no director,” according to Yahoo, and there hasn’t been news about the possible film for a while.