Insisting that he will not return to the puppet movie franchise, Segel claims, 'My goal was never to take over the helm of 'The Muppets'.'
- Apr 18, 2012
AceShowbiz - Though Jason Segel has decided to step aside from "The Muppets" sequel, it has recently been rumored that the comedian would still be involved in the upcoming project and could possibly make a cameo. However, the actor himself shot down the rumor as claiming that he will totally leave the puppet film franchise.
Insisting that he will not appear in "The Muppets Sequel", Segel told The Playlist, "No, no cameo. It was a very distinct choice on my part." Still, he admitted that Walt Disney Pictures asked him to tackle a minor role in the film, but he refused. "Of course I was asked to do it. I did exactly what I set out to do, if that makes any sense," he said.
Explaining why he bowed out of the fan-favorited puppet movie, Segel said, "My goal was never to take over the helm of 'The Muppets'. They have people who are better equipped for that. My only goal was to bring back the Muppets that I loved. And I did that. I kinda don't know what I have left to do in that regard."
The "Bad Teacher" actor went on admitting that he prefers to work on adult comedy movies for now. "I like doing these R-rated comedies," so he said before adding, "I loved working on 'The Muppets' but, you know, it took me six, seven years. That's a lot of time working with puppets."
"I think I enjoy acting too much to repeat myself in any way," he continued. " 'Muppets 2' would feel like repeating myself and I feel like maybe there would be no upside for me neither. Well, it wasn't as good as the first. I know where to leave it."
Rumors that Segel could make a cameo in "The Muppets 2" was fueled as screenwriter Nicholas Stoller told Collider about the possibility of the actor's comeback to the sequel. "Right now, yeah, there's a cameo possibility in it, definitely. Gary and Mary's story is concluded," said the scribe. "There's not much to say after that for their story, but we follow them up into a...I will say, it is a caper. It is a comedy caper."
"The Muppets" was released in the U.S. theaters last November 23, 2011. As of January this year, the movie grossed $87.1 million in North America and $102.1 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing "Muppets" film ever.
Segel himself has signed on to write a sitcom on CBS. He is also busy with promotional events for Judd Apatow's adult comedy films, "The Five-Year Engagement" and "This Is Forty".
