The Muppets' Future is in "Oz"

You may already know about "The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz" which will air on ABC in two months (May 2005), and will be the first major project involving the Muppets since the characters were bought by Disney. And now, it looks like the film is a big factor on determining what's next for Muppets. Since last February, Disney has been building up the Muppets and getting them back into the public's eye. Disney has put the Muppets on many TV shows, commercials, and even on the Internet. From Extreme Makeover Home Edition, to Pizza Hut, and Moves.com to Saturday Night Live - the Muppets are getting eased back into the spotlight. All of this is with the hope that the public will be more aware of the Muppets, and will sit down to watch "The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz." in May.

The future, or at least the immediate future, of the Muppets is riding on how well this new Muppet TV movie does in the ratings. If "The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz" wins its time-slot (or at least ranks fairly high) when it primers in May, it is rumored that Disney will greenlight production of a new Muppet TV-movie to start immediately. There is no clue of what the project would be, or when it would air (probably in 2006-07). But, based on rumors, here are some projects that have been floating and could be next on the Muppets' list: "The Muppets: Haunted Hotel", "The Muppets of Camelot", "The Muppets Leave Hollywood", or "The Muppets' Alice in Wonderland" (please note that these titles are all rumored projects of future Muppets productions; these may never be made, and whatever is next could be a completely new idea).

If Disney finds success with "The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz" in May, they hope to build up the Muppet franchise with another TV-movie (or maybe two). By doing this Disney hopes to then be able to successfully launch new theatrical film or television series with the Muppets. If "The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is not successful, then it'll be tougher to tell how Disney will feel about investing more into the franchise. So, in short, be sure to tune in to watch "The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz" in May and get all your friends, family, and anyone else you can to do the same.