Did you see Jason Segel’s face when Bret McKenzie won an Oscar for Man or a Muppet? It looked like he had won the Best Actor of Best Picture Oscar. He was so happy. And he should be, he willed The Muppets into existence. Into relevancy.

He drove development of the story, he co-wrote the film and he starred in it. For the sequel, he won’t be doing any of these things. James Bobin and Nicholas Stoller, director and co-writer of the first film, are already working on a script for the sequel.

Segel told Collider:

It’s true [that I'm not involved writing the sequel] 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)… 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.

It’s understandable that he wants a break from The Muppets. Hell, even Forgetting Sarah Marshall had a puppet in it. Five years dedicated to one movie is a long time, and passion projects can take a great deal out of you (ask Peter Jackson about Lord of the Rings).

But it’s all a bit sad. It won’t be the same without him, but if he trusts Bobin and Stoller why shouldn’t we? Here’s hoping The Muppets 2 is just as good as The Muppets. Maniacal laugh, maniacal laugh. [Collider via Slashfilm]

jason segel, the muppets, the muppets 2