The long-runningSesame Streetchildren’s show is gearing up for another foray into movies with an upcoming musical planned by Warner Bros. based on characters from the series. Now we’ve learned that Chance the Rapper is negotiating to join theSesame Street Moviein a major role.
Sesame Streethas a long and illustrious history of pairing up with notable pop-culture icons of the age. The show has featured guest appearances by many celebrities from Johnny Cash to Michelle Obama.Chance the Rapperhimself has already made an appearance on the show for a Youtube short where he and Cookie Monster explained the meaning of the word ‘Theater’ to their young audience.
While Chance initially gained fame for his music, he has since steadily branched out into various other aspects of business and the arts. He also displayed his comic chops when he hosted an episode ofSaturday Night Liveas both the host and musical performer. The rapper’s performance on the show was praised, and transitioning to a movie role with The Muppets feels like a natural next step after proving he is comfortable working with an ensemble sketch comedy cast.
TheSesame Streetmovie starsAnne Hatheway in the lead role. The script for the film, written by Chris Galetta and set to be directed by Jonathan Krisel ofPortalndiafame, is said to follow the lives of the muppets when they are expelled from the street on which they have lived for so long. Now Elmo and his pals must take the help of a history show host, played by Hatheway, to prove thatSesame Streetis a historic part of the neighborhood and their irreplaceable home.
The movie is set to be a musical featuring songs by several artists,including Bo Burnham and songsfrom the Muppets' own extensive repertoire.
Interestingly, there have been two other recent attempts to make a film version of children’s education programs for general audiences, with mixed results. Melissa McCarthy’sThe Happytime Murderswas loosely inspired by The Muppets, and produced by The Jim Henson Company.Dora the Exploreralso got her own live-action movie featuring a grown-up Dora tackling highschool while setting out on a quest to save her parents.
Neither of the movies managed to set the box-office on fire, but thenSesame Streethas always had its own brand recognition and inbuilt fanbase which they have made films, TV specials and documentaries for with great success.
With a release datefixed on August 07, 2025, the new Muppets film is still in the early stages of development. This means most of the actors and technicians are yet to be cast for the project.Sesame Streethas been on the air since 1969 and shows no signs of slowing down, with HBO Max recently renewing the series for five more seasons. There has also been news of multipleSesame Streetspinoff shows in the works, which means the franchise is busier than ever imparting its unique brand of educational entertainment to a new generation of young viewers. This news comes fromThe Wrap.
