We don't think we've ever heard the phrase "film noir puppet comedy" before today.
But it sounds like there's no better way to describe "The Happytime Murders," the cast of which "Knocked Up" star Katherine Heigl is in talks to join in one of the lead (human) roles, according to Variety.
"The Happytime Murders" (come to think of it, that's another phrase we've never heard before today) takes place in a world where humans live together with puppets, which are viewed as second-class citizens. When the puppet cast of an '80s children's television show starts being murdered one by one, a disgraced detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.
The project has been in development at The Jim Henson Co. since 2008, with Brian Henson set to direct from a script by Todd Berger ("Kung Fu Panda 2"). One has to wonder whether Jim would approve of such a violent premise, but if they can pull off a "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" kind of tone (with plenty of wink-winks to the '80s), it just might work.
This is the second project that Katherine Heigl has booked this week, following the supernatural-ish thriller, "Face Blind." It seems she has indeed been reading NextMovie and is starting to steer clear of the romantic comedies!
Katherine Heigl can currently be seen in theaters in "One For the Money" and will next be seen in "The Wedding," opening Oct. 19. Yes, both are romantic comedies, but at least Katherine seems to have taken some steps this week in leaving the genre behind.
