This isn’t exactly breaking news, but hints have been laid out about Archaia’s next foray into the archives of Jim Henson’s ideas, just waiting for us to collect them all and help announce the comic book project.
Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl’s script for the unproduced special, “The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow” will be illustrated and adapted by The Muppet Show Comic Book superstar Roger Langridge and published by Archaia in November, 2014. Rumor has it that the title will change to “The Magical Monsters of Turkey Hollow”, probably because comic books do not usually come equipped with accompanying music.
So, here’s what we know:
- In our recent interview with Roger Langridge, he hinted that he’s working on a new project for Archaia, one that “Jim Henson fans will be very interested in that one”.
- In 2011, Lisa Henson mentioned this project in an interview as one The Jim Henson Company is looking at to revive. At the time, they were considering having Kirk Thatcher direct, and keeping it set in 1968 (the year it was written).
- Archaia’s previous venture into turning Henson scripts into graphic novels was a successful one, as “Tale of Sand” is being re-released in a new box set and as a script book in July.
- The original production was to be filmed around 1968, and puppet design had already begun before the idea was scrapped. Jim wanted to film it outdoors, and you can see Lisa and Cheryl testing the puppets in their backyard in the photo above (courtesy of Jim’s Red Book). Jim would have directed, and Joe Raposo was set to write the music.
Archaia’s description of the book is as follows:
Turkey Hollow is a picturesque town where hundreds of years ago, unbeknownst to the citizens, a meteorite landed nearby a small brook on the outskirts of town. One Thanksgiving, while young Timmy Henderson practices his guitar, he’s accompanied by strange, unearthly, musical sounds. That meteorite wasn’t a rock at all but an egg holding seven furry, goofy monsters, each with a unique musical sound. After the initial shock, Timmy befriends the lovable creatures following him all around Turkey Hollow. Not everyone takes a liking to the visitors though and it’s up to Timmy to protect his new friends and save Thanksgiving!
Stay tuned as we keep our eyes and ears peeled for more news and artwork about this exciting Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl book from Archaia!
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
