The Muppets To Join Disney’s Netflix-Killing Army

Disney just keeps announcing new content for its upcoming streaming service - and the latest addition, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is a return of The Muppets.

No writers have yet been hired for the reboot, which will presumably be separate to the mockumentary sitcom aired (and swiftly cancelled) by ABC in 2015-2016. Will it be a full-on Muppet Show revival? That'd be fun, and Disney certainly has the clout to lure an array of guests to such a show, but at this stage, nobody, as they say, knows nothin'.

The Muppets will join multiple Star Wars series; series adaptations of High School Musical, Monsters, Inc., and The Mighty Ducks; and a new slate of direct-to-streaming remakes including The Parent Trap, Father of the Bride, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The service will also carry Disney's hefty back catalogue of animated and live-action films, including its Marvel and Star Wars titles; a significant infusion of content will likely also come via material acquired in Disney's purchase of 21st Century Fox late last year.

This streaming service - unnamed as of yet, but historically speaking, likely to include the word "Magic" in its title - is shaping up to be a behemoth. A Muppets reboot would be as strong an exclusive as any for the service, which as far as we know will lean heavily on pre-existing favourites. Many streaming services have attempted to become "Netflix killers," but Disney's monolithic control over contemporary pop culture could well make it the first to succeed. I pity the parents who suddenly find their homes a direct pipeline to the Disney archives.

Disney plans to take over the world's internet bandwidth in fall 2019. Best start preparing.