Puppet Carnage In Concept Art For Brian Henson's THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS

Somewhere right now somebody is accusing Brian Henson of disrespecting the legacy of his father, Jim. That person is an idiot.

Working from a script by Kung Fu Panda writer Todd Berger, Henson is gearing up to direct a little something known as The Happytime Murders - a crime noir with puppets.

In a world where puppets co-exist with humans as second class citizens, puppet private eye and disgraced ex-cop, Phil Phillips, is hot on the trail of the serial killer who murdered his brother and is now targeting the cast members of the famous 80s television show, "The Happytime Gang." As the killings continue, Phil's former flame, Jenny, is next on the list. It's up to Phil and his ex-partner, Detective Edwards, to find the culprit, but as bad blood and old resentments resurface the clues start pointing to the only viable suspect, Phil himself. Now he's on the run with only his wits and hard headed determination, as he tries to solve, "The Happytime Murders."

The script for this one has been causing a stir for a couple years now, racking up fans within the industry - most of whom will tell you privately that it would be completely unfilmable within the studio system due to its ultra-dark sense of humor. Good thing, then, that they're doing it outside of the studio system.

What you see above is the first released piece of concept art for the film, which is now in pre-production.