Just a few days ago we learned that director James Bobin and co-writer Nicholas Stoller were on board for a sequel to The Muppets, news that was both good and bad. The reason for the mixed emotions was that the film's driving force and inspirational leader, Jason Segel, was too busy with other commitments to be a part of the writing and pre-production process. However, it was assumed he would be a part of the film in some capacity and would likely star. Turns out those assumptions were premature as Segel revealed to Collider that he won't be a part of the film at all.
While doing press for his upcoming comedy, Jeff, Who Lives At Home, Segel revealed that there was no malice behind his decision...
Segel: “It’s true but it’s totally amicable. My goal was to bring The Muppets back and I did that leaving them in very good hands, my writing partner and James Bobin the director. I did what I set out to do, and now I wanna pursue more human-related projects (laughs).”
If it wasn't for Segel, who first showed his love for Jim Henson's classic characters around the time of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, then chances are we never would have seen Kermit and the gang return to the silver screen at all. He does leave the door open for future projects with in that world, though...
Segel: “All I wanted to do was to set the stage for them to do whatever they wanted. I’m sure I’ll return in some capacity here and there, but that was half a decade of my life. Five years of hard work. I’m ready for a little puppet break.”
This only seems weird because Segel was such an integral part of The Muppets, but typically there is very little celebrity overlap from movie-to-movie. In the time since he first began working on the film back in 2008, Segel has seen his profile increase significantly, juggling time in an increasing number of features with his regular gig on How I Met Your Mother. So it makes sense for him to want to try something else for awhile. Still, I think this takes quite a bit of steam out of the sequel, and his energy will be sorely missed.
