10 Most Exciting New Movies & TV Shows Just Announced (April 2021)

Considering the numerous documentaries which have been made about the life of Muppets creator Jim Henson, it's genuinely surprising it's taken more than three decades since his untimely passing for a dramatic biopic project to be assembled.

Screenwriter Michael Mitnick (The Giver, The Current War) was recently tapped to write Muppet Man, a Henson biopic covering his early life and tenacious fight to convince TV networks that The Muppets were a worthwhile enterprise.

Anyone who knows anything about Henson can appreciate the obvious cinematic value in telling his story, though casting will be absolutely vital in capturing the man's tough-to-imitate warmth of spirit.

The film is being produced by both Disney and The Jim Henson Company itself, so it will clearly be an estate-approved biopic in the most literal sense, even if Henson's general lack of personal controversies makes that less problematic than it might be with other public figures.

If they get the casting right, this thing has major awards potential. But as tempting as Tom Hanks might be to cast, at 64 years old he's far too old to play the part, beyond bearing not even a faint physical resemblance to the man.