Muppets: Back in Action is a 2028 American live-action musical comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, from a screenplay written by Nicholas Stoller and Ryan Reynolds, the film is a standalone sequel to Muppets: Most Wanted (2014) and the ninth theatrical film of The Muppets. The film stars Reynolds, Jennifer Garner, Nick Kroll, Rob Riggle, Ving Rhames, Amy Sedaris, Sabrina Carpenter, Kit Connor, and Daniel Craig as well as Muppets performers Matt Vogel, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, and Peter Linz alongside newcomer Victor Yerrid. In the film, which parodies action, origin story, and spy film conventions, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, as well as the other Muppets team up with action star Bruce Howard (Reynolds), his wife Barbara (Garner), and his son Benny (Connor) to travel around the world to save Howard's father Benjamin (Craig) while being intertwined in a plot by Dennis Carrey (Kroll), CEO of an terrorist organization named KAOS, to turn the whole population into monkeys. Meanwhile, Kermit reunites with his long-lost father, Ken (Yerrid).
Plans for a new Muppets theatrical film began in June 2025 when Disney announced that they would make another film with Shawn Levy set to direct after he was rejected to direct the untitled Sesame Street movie, along with Frank Oz and Brian Henson as producers. while the rest of the cast was announced. The official title was revealed in November 2026.
Muppets: Back in Action had its world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 10, 2028 and went into general theatrical release in Disney Digital 3-D, RealD 3D, and 4DX formats in the United States on March 24. The film was received generally positive reviews from the critics who praised its story, humor, music, performances, and the fact that the Muppets were brought back into theaters even in a modern world. It grossed $1.039 billion worldwide, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2028 and the fourth-highest-grossing animated film of all time during its theatrical run. The film received three nominations, including Best Animated Feature at 85th Golden Globe Awards and 43th Annie Awards.
Plot[]
TBA
Cast[]
- Ryan Reynolds as Bruce Howard, an action star who works at Walt Disney Studios.
- Jennifer Garner as Barbara Howard, Bruce's wife who works as Disney executive.
- Kit Connor as Benny Howard, Bruce's son who is a college freshman.
- Nick Kroll as Dennis Carrey, the CEO of KAOS.
- Rob Riggle as Anderson Phillips, Carrey's henchman.
- Ving Rhames as Agent William Henson, a secret agent who helps the Howards and the Muppets on their journey.
- Sabrina Carpenter as Fluffy Rose, a pop singer and Benny's love interest.
- Amy Sedaris as Lisa DuBois, a female scientist at a science facility named DuBois Labs.
- Daniel Craig as Benjamin Howard, A spy who's Bruce's father.
Muppet performers[]
- Matt Vogel as:
- Kermit the Frog
- Uncle Deadly
- Camilla the Chicken
- Floyd Pepper
- Cacti
- Sweetums
- 80's Robot
- Professor Kermit
- Pythagoras Kermit
- Robot Kermit
- Eric Jacobson as:
- Fozzie Bear
- Miss Piggy
- Animal
- Sam the Eagle
- Mole
- Dave Goelz as:
- The Great Gonzo
- Dr. Bunsen Honeydew
- Waldorf
- Chip
- Beaurgard
- Zoot
- Bill Barretta as:
- Pepe the King Prawn
- The Swedish Chef
- Big Mean Carl
- Howard Tubman
- Bubba the Rat
- Bobo the Bear
- Dr. Teeth
- Baby
- Rowlf the Dog
- David Rudman as:
- Scooter
- Beaker
- Janice
- Miss Poogy
- Baby
- Peter Linz as:
- Walter
- Statler
- Link Hogthrob
- Joe the Legal Weasel
- Robin the Frog
- Beepalyzer
- Foo-Foo
- Julianne Buescher as
- Yolanda the Rat
- Beverly Plume
- Maragret
- Rosie the Sheep
- Beak-R
- Priscilla the Chicken
- Brie the Cheese
- Elena the Penguin
- Some Bunny
- A Screaming Goat
- Esther
- Mary the Cow
- VIctor Yerrid as Ken the Frog
Cameo performances[]
- Danny DeVito as Old Man Stanley
- Anya Taylor-Joy as herself
- Will Smith as himself
- Steve Zahn as KAOS VP, Unfairly Promoted
- Paul Rudd as KAOS VP, Bad Ideas
- Tom Holland as Kyle
- Chris Pratt as KAOS VP, Near Unemployment
- Awkwafina as College Teacher
- Jason Sudeikis as KAOS VP, Stating The Obvious
- Brett Gelman as KAOS VP, Nitpicking
- Rihanna as Bystander #1
- Liza Koshy as Bystander #2
- Bill Nye as himself
- Brad Pitt as KAOS VP, Rhetorical Questions
- Jon Lovitz as KAOS VP, Climbing To The Top
- Chris Paul as Basketball Player #1
- LeBron James as Basketball Player #2
- Chris Pine as KAOS VP, Never Learning
- Megan Mullally as Random Wife
- Nick Offerman as Random Husband
- Jason Segel as Gary
- Amy Adams as Mary
- Brady Noon as Barry
Production[]
Development[]
In June 2025, Disney announced that they would make another Muppets movie with Shawn Levy of 21 Laps Entertainment as director. Kirk Thatcher and Brain Henson are also set to produce it, replacing David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman from the first two movies. According to Levy, he joined after he was rejected to direct the untitled Sesame Street movie. Nicolas Stoller wrote the script after previously doing so in the first two movies. By early September 2026, the film had been entitled Muppets: Back in Action.
Casting[]
In Novermber 2025, Matt Vogel, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta and David Rudman were revealed to reprises their roles as their respective Muppet characters. In May 2026, Ryan Reynolds (who also serves as a screenwriter alongside Stoller) was cast as the lead human role, with Jennifer Garner, Kit Connor, Nick Kroll, Rob Riggle, Ving Rhames, Amy Sedaris, Sabrina Carpenter, and Daniel Craig joining the cast. In June 2026, Victor Yerrid was cast as Kermit's father, Ken the Frog. In the next month, Jason Segal and Amy Adams were confirmed to reprise their roles as Gary and Mary from the 2011 movie, respectively in cameos. Lots of celebrity cameos were featured in the film, as tradition with the previous Muppet movies.
Filming[]
Principal photography for Muppets Back in Action began in September 5 2027, and wrapped in December 13. The following filming locations consist of the Jim Henson Company Lot in Burbank Walt Disney Studios, Orlando, Las Vegas, Peru, and Los Angeles.
Music[]
The film's score was handled by Christophe Beck after composing the score for the 2011 film and Muppets Most Wanted. Beck employed instruments he considered underused, as well as ones rarely used in an orchestral setting, such as the banjo and including Kermit singing his signature song, "Rainbow Connection", which he played on the same banjo that he used when he performed the song in The Muppet Movie (1979).
Release[]
Marketing[]
A teaser trailer was released on September 3, 2027, On November 11, two different trailers were released, one for the United States and one for the United Kingdom.
Theatrical[]
The Muppets: Back in Action premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on March 13. The film was theatrically released in the United States on March 24, 2028.
Home media[]
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Muppets: Back in Action on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and digital download on May 11, and was released on Disney+ on June 8.