Moi is finally getting her closeup—and Hollywood’s biggest stars are making it happen. Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone are joining forces as producers on a feature film centered entirely on Miss Piggy, the iconic Muppet diva who has scene-stealed her way through decades of entertainment without ever landing her own starring vehicle.
The project, currently in early development at Disney, marks the first time the temperamental puppet has been the sole focus of a feature film since her debut on Jim Henson’s “The Muppet Show” in the 1970s. And in a move that has Broadway and Hollywood buzzing, Tony Award winner Cole Escola—whose gonzo comedy “Oh, Mary!” became the surprise theatrical sensation of 2024—will pen the screenplay.
The Announcement That Broke the Internet (Sort Of)
Lawrence couldn’t contain her excitement when she spilled the beans on the “Las Culturistas” podcast, hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.
“I don’t know if I can announce this but I am just going to … Emma Stone and I are producing a Miss Piggy movie and Cole is writing it,” Lawrence revealed, triggering delighted shrieks from the hosts.
When Yang and Rogers immediately asked whether the long-time friends would co-star alongside their puppet protagonist, Lawrence teased, “I think so. We have to… It’s fucked up [that we haven’t done a movie together].”
The revelation sparked immediate excitement across social media, with fans celebrating the convergence of two Oscar winners and one of theater’s most inventive comedic voices around a character who has been delivering karate chops and declarations of “Moi!” for nearly five decades.
From Pandemic Lockdown to Feminist Icon
During her Wednesday appearance on “The Tonight Show,” Lawrence shared the surprisingly timely origin story behind the project. The idea emerged during pandemic lockdowns, at the height of so-called cancel culture conversations.
“She said, ‘Miss Piggy is a feminist icon. It would be so funny if Miss Piggy got canceled,'” Lawrence recalled of her friend’s initial pitch. However, she quickly clarified that the film’s direction has evolved beyond that initial spark. “Now that is not the plot necessarily,” she explained. “But it got the wheels turning.”
The concept brilliantly taps into Miss Piggy’s complex cultural legacy. Since her introduction, the porcine diva has embodied a fascinating contradiction: simultaneously a parody of Hollywood excess and a genuine icon of self-confidence and ambition. She’s vain and volatile, yes, but she’s also unapologetically herself—demanding respect, center stage, and Kermit’s undivided attention with equal fervor.
In an era of heightened cultural scrutiny around celebrity behavior, a Miss Piggy film offers rich comedic territory. How would a character famous for literally karate-chopping anyone who crosses her navigate modern expectations? It’s a premise that promises both sharp satire and nostalgic warmth.
The Perfect Writer for the Job
Cole Escola’s involvement adds another layer of excitement to the project. The writer-performer became the toast of Broadway with “Oh, Mary!,” a deliriously funny reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln as an alcoholic aspiring cabaret star in the days before Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The play’s success stemmed from Escola’s gift for finding humanity and heart within absurdist premises—exactly the balance a Miss Piggy film would require.
Escola’s sensibility seems tailor-made for Miss Piggy’s world. “Oh, Mary!” worked because it committed fully to its bonkers concept while never condescending to its characters. Mary Todd Lincoln may have been portrayed as delusional and desperate, but she was also sympathetic, complex, and genuinely funny. Translating that approach to Miss Piggy—treating her theatrical temperament with both affection and sharp wit—could result in something truly special.
Lawrence herself expressed admiration for Escola’s work, revealing on “Las Culturistas” that she briefly considered taking on the title role in “Oh, Mary!” herself.
“The whole thing is a joke she’s in on,” Lawrence said of the play’s tone. “I felt like I could be big and in on the joke.”
Why Lawrence (Wisely) Chose Not to Tread the Boards
Despite her enthusiasm for “Oh, Mary!,” Lawrence ultimately decided against making her Broadway debut in the production. The reason? The brutal reality of theatrical schedules.
“I don’t think I would be good at [theater]… it’s all your body and voice,” said Lawrence, who is currently promoting her psychological drama “Die, My Love” opposite Robert Pattinson. “The only time I wanted to do theater was I wanted to do ‘Oh, Mary!’ They were like, ‘It’s eight shows a week and six weeks of rehearsal.’ I was like, ‘Do you have daycare there?’ It just wouldn’t have worked.”
The candid admission—mentioning childcare needs without apology—is quintessentially Lawrence, whose unfiltered honesty has endeared her to fans throughout her career. It also underscores the practical challenges working parents face in an industry that still struggles with work-life balance, particularly in theater’s demanding environment.
A Long-Overdue Spotlight
While Miss Piggy has appeared in numerous Muppet movies since “The Muppet Movie” in 1979, she’s always shared the spotlight with Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, and the rest of the felt-covered ensemble. Films like “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” and 2011’s successful franchise reboot “The Muppets” showcased her scene-stealing abilities, but never gave her top billing.
This marks a significant departure for Disney, which acquired the Muppets franchise in 2004. The studio has experimented with the property over the years—including the short-lived mockumentary series “The Muppets” in 2015 and the Disney+ series “Muppets Now”—but a solo character film represents new territory.
Given Miss Piggy’s enduring popularity and cultural cache, the decision makes commercial and creative sense. She’s instantly recognizable across generations, boasts a distinct personality that can anchor a narrative, and offers opportunities for both nostalgia and contemporary commentary.
The Dream Team’s Chemistry
The Lawrence-Stone partnership adds significant star power to the project. The two actresses have been close friends for years and have long expressed interest in working together, yet have never appeared in the same film. Their producing collaboration on Miss Piggy’s starring vehicle offers the next best thing—and possibly sets up a future on-screen partnership.
Both actresses bring relevant experience to the table. Lawrence has demonstrated her comedic chops in everything from her Oscar-winning turn in “Silver Linings Playbook” to the absurdist “Don’t Look Up.” Stone, meanwhile, won her Oscar for playing an aspiring actress in “La La Land” and has shown range from the farcical “The Favourite” to the surreal “Poor Things.” Their combined sensibilities—mixing genuine emotion with sharp humor—align perfectly with what a Miss Piggy movie needs.
What Comes Next
With the project in early development at Disney, concrete details remain scarce. Key questions linger: Will this be a live-action/puppet hybrid like previous Muppet films? Will it lean heavily into satire or maintain the franchise’s family-friendly sensibility? And most importantly for fans: Will Kermit appear, and if so, what’s the status of their eternally complicated relationship?
What’s clear is that Lawrence, Stone, and Escola are taking Miss Piggy seriously as a character worthy of her own narrative—not just as comic relief or romantic subplot, but as the complex, contradictory, utterly fabulous leading lady she’s always believed herself to be.
For a character who has spent nearly fifty years declaring “Moi!” and demanding the respect she deserves, getting her own movie feels like the universe finally catching up to what Miss Piggy has known all along: she’s always been the star of the show.
As Lawrence’s impromptu announcement suggests, even Hollywood’s biggest names can’t resist Miss Piggy’s gravitational pull. When two Oscar winners are this excited to tell her story, you know the diva must be doing something right.
After all these years, Miss Piggy is finally getting what she’s always wanted: a movie all about moi.
