Jason Segal Confirms: He Will NOT Be Back for THE MUPPETS Sequel…

UPDATE: It has been confirmed, straight from the horse’s mouth…

In a new interview with Collider, Jason Segal has confirmed he will not be involved with THE MUPPETS 2, not as a writer or actor:

“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…All I wanted to do was to set the stage for them to do whatever they wanted. I did what I set out to do, and now I wanna pursue more human-related projects. 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.”

Well that stinks…but I do give the guy credit…he did revitalize a dying brand in the best possible way, and left the franchise in the best possible hands. Overall, I think we have a pretty good sequel to look forward to.

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THE MUPPETS was one of the biggest hits this holiday season, grossing $153 million on a $45 million budget.  With that sort of success, it’s a no brainer that Disney wants a sequel!

NY Mag has learned that Disney has already signed a deal for director James Bobin and co-writer Nicholas Stoller to return for the sequel.  The only issue?  Jason Segel will NOT be returning.

Due to commitments to other film projects, as well as “How I Met Your Mother”,  Segel will not have time to work on another script.  The studio has said that there’s a chance he may return to star, but that depends on many other factors, including timing.

As we wait to see how all this plays out, THE MUPPETS will hit stores on March 20th.