We've been hearing reports about a Fraggle Rock movie dating back to 2009 - and while we've been burned multiple times since then, it now sounds as though the project is legitimately moving forward. This is because new reports have revealed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt has come aboard to help shepherd the film, and is now attached to both star in it and produce.
This news comes to us from Variety, which says that Gordon-Levitt will be working with the folks at New Regency, The Henson Company, and produce Lisa Henson (Jim Henson's daughter). Unfortunately, at this time there aren't many other details about the project, including who will be writing and directing and what role the actor will be playing. One thing is for certain, though: Gordon-Levitt is a ridiculously big fan of everything Henson related. He said in an official statement,
"The first screen personas I ever loved were Henson creations, first on Sesame Street, and then on Fraggle Rock. 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.
Obviously that passion level is important, but what makes us excited is that it comes paired with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's extreme talent. The guy is one of the best young actors working today, and has regularly proven it in the projects he's taken on. One might assume that he could be playing the human role of Doc in Fraggle Rock, but if you were to tell me that he plans on taking extensive puppetry classes so that he can play one Gobo Fraggle I wouldn't be surprised in the least.
For those who aren't familiar, Fraggle Rock was a Jim Henson-created series that ran from 1983 to 1987, chronicling the lives of little furry creatures called Fraggles. They live together with the shorter Doozers and the gigantic Gorgs on Fraggle Rock, and learn how to live in harmony and peace.
While Joseph Gordon-Levitt had a bit of a slow year in 2014 - with his only credited performance coming in Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame To Kill For - the actor has some huge things in the works this year.Most recently he has been working with director Oliver Stone to play Edward Snowden in the biopic Snowden (which is due out this Christmas), but he has also finished work on Robert Zemeckis' The Walk (a remake of the documentary Man on Wire) and an untitled Christmas comedy that reteams him with 50/50 director Jonathan Levine and Seth Rogen. Hopefully he'll be able to work around all of his commitments related to those projects so that he can start work on Fraggle Rock right away.
