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The Happytime Murders: Watch the trailer for the first R-rated Muppets film

The Muppets are going in a whole new direction.

For over a decade, The Jim Henson Company has been creating work for mature audiences under the HA! Henson Alternative banner, with comedy live shows and web series which incorporate the studio's trademark puppetry.

HA! Henson Alternative is now launching its first feature film: The Happytime Murders, described as a neo-noir puppet crime comedy mystery film, taking place in a world where puppets co-exist with humans, but are seen as second-class citizens.

Puppet Phil Phillips, a disgraced former cop, now makes his living as a private eye, determined to track down the serial killer who murdered his brother and is now killing off the cast members of the 1980s TV series The Happytime Gang. This leads him to team up with Detective Edwards (Melissa McCarthy), his ex-partner, to solve the crime.

The cast also features Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, Elizabeth Banks, Leslie David Baker, and Jimmy O. Yang. It's directed by Brian Henson, Jim Henson's son and the helmer of The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island.

The Happytime Murders hits UK cinemas 17 August.

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