"The Muppets" stars Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are getting four more funny co-stars in addition to leading man Jason Segel.
Billy Crystal, Jack Black, Zach Galifianakis and Oscar winner Alan Arkin have all agreed to make cameo appearances in the Disney movie, which will also briefly feature The Muscles From Brussels himself, action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme, an individual involved in the production has confirmed to TheWrap.
Deal Central recenty reported that Danny Trejo and "Community" star Donald Glover will also make cameos, with the latter actor having already shot a scene as a junior executive at ABC.
Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and Rashida Jones were previously cast in key live-action roles.
Arkin will play a tour guide, Black a kidnap victim and Galifianakis a hobo, while Segel will play a man who reunites the Muppets and helps them put on a show in order to save a movie studio.
Folks, I'm sure the "Muppets" movie is going to be a rousing success under the direction of James Bobin (HBO's inventive "Flight of the Conchords"), but only in Hollywood are Gonzo and the gang getting back together in order to ultimately save … a movie studio.
It's a little too "Hollywood" of a problem, but I have faith in Segel and Nicholas Stoller as screenwriters, even though their prior collaborations, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Get Him to the Greek," (both of which I liked, except for the latter's last act) also shared that "insider-y" issue.
It's less a criticism than a simple observation, and judging from the cast that has been assembled, the "Muppets" movie will surely delight audiences when it hits theaters next Christmas, but still, I have to admit that I was surprised to learn that the Muppets' end goal would be to save a movie studio, as if that's the worst possible thing that could be put into jeopardy. Will kids really be sitting there hoping the movie studio gets saved so it can keep making movies like the one they just saw and (hopefully) loved?
Meanwhile, Deal Central previously wrote that Jane Lynch would cameo in the "Muppets" movie (reportedly as a prison guard keeping an eye on Trejo's character), however TheWrap has learned that scheduling issues prevented the actress from appearing in the film, which is currently shooting in Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported that Arkin, Crystal and Van Damme had joined the cast of the "Muppets" movie.
