Last month, we let you know that actor Christoph Waltz was currently in discussions to star in the upcoming sequel to The Muppets. However, this week it was announced that the role’s casting will be going in a different direction. Ty Burell, who stars as Phil Dunphy on the hit ABC series Modern Family, will be starring in the new Muppet film as one of its leading human characters.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Burrell was cast in the role after Waltz’s schedule prevented him from taking part in the film. Playing the role of an Interpol inspector, Burrell will be one of the few leading human characters in the film. Other non-Muppet characters will include a Russian femme fatale and a male lead “whose intentions are always in question.”
For his performance as Phil Dunphy on Modern Family, Burrell has been nominated for a slew of awards, and won an Emmy Award in 2011 for Best Supporting Actor. In addition to his upcoming Muppets role, Burrell will also be featured as a voice actor in the upcoming DreamWorks animated film Mr. Peabody & Sherman, as well as in the upcoming indie films The Skeleton Twins and Switched. Burrell and his brother Duncan are also currently developing a new show for ABC based on their childhood in Oregon.
As previously announced, the Muppets sequel is set to begin filming in London this January, and we can’t wait to see what Burrell will bring to this sure-to-be-hilarious new film. Stay tuned for more news on this exciting sequel.
