Emotion Pictures, the newly launched English-language commercial film banner from Vendôme Group, Pathé and Merit France, will produce the feature film “Muppets in Moscow” in partnership with Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s Felix Culpa. Charles Randolph, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “The Big Short,” will write the script.
The film is based on Natasha Lance Rogoff’s acclaimed memoir “Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia,” which recounts her real-life journey bringing the beloved children’s series to Russia. Sesame Workshop produced the Russian version titled “Ulitsa Sezam” in the country. Felix Culpa and CAA brought the project to Emotion Pictures.
Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi are producing under the Emotion Pictures banner alongside Felix Culpa’s Keough, Gammell and Sacha Ben Harroche. Executive producers include Sesame Workshop, Rogoff and Randolph. Kathryn Thal is overseeing development for Emotion Pictures.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the moment seemed ideal to bring Sesame Street to millions of children across the former Soviet bloc, with the Muppets envisioned as ambassadors of hope and Western values — but the reality proved far more complicated. In her book, Rogoff chronicles the true story behind launching the Russian edition of the iconic series amid bombings, political violence, assassinations — even a military takeover of the production office.
As Rogoff and her Moscow team of artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers and puppeteers navigated cultural clashes over everything from educational philosophy to comedy to the creation of entirely new puppet characters, they remained determined to deliver laughter, learning and a new way of seeing the world to children in Russia, Ukraine, and across the region — crafting not just a children’s show, but a revealing portrait of a society in turbulent transition and a relationship with the West that still resonates today.
“Natasha’s account of bringing Sesame Street to Russia is extraordinary and daring,” said Rousselet, Vendôme Group’s founder, chairman and co-CEO. “As the memoir’s title suggests, it’s a story that combines all the qualities we are looking for — entertainment, singularity and ambition. Charles Randolph is one of the finest writers working in this space today, and we’re delighted to be building Emotion’s slate with this project alongside Felix Culpa.”
Keough, Gammell and Harroche said: “We are beyond thrilled to bring Natasha’s incredible story to the screen, and could not have asked for more perfect partners than Charles Randolph and the team at Vendôme. We feel wonderfully fortunate to have found a team with such formidable vision, singular taste, and a shared track record of capturing hyper-specific subject matter in a way that resonates with audiences everywhere.”
Emotion Pictures is currently in production on Morten Tyldum’s “Ibelin” starring Charlie Plummer, Stephen Graham, Toni Collette, Isabela Merced, Maisy Stella and Bill Nighy. Felix Culpa’s “Butterfly Jam” opened the 58th edition of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. The film is directed by Kantemir Balagov and stars Barry Keoghan and Keough.
Randolph also wrote the Oscar-nominated “Bombshell,” starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie. His other credits include “Love & Other Drugs,” directed by Ed Zwick with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, “The Interpreter” directed by Sydney Pollack with Sean Penn and Kidman, and “The Life of David Gale” directed by Alan Parker with Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney and Kate Winslet. Randolph is represented by CAA and Paul Hastings.
