As the Kevin Clash sex scandal continues to unravel, the former voice of Elmo is still experiencing misfortune after allegations of having sexual relationships with three underaged accusers.
Clash’s latest loss comes from the hands of Warner Bros. Pictures, who has reportedly canned an untitled upcoming feature film that was in development with the puppeteer. According to development document obtained by Vulture, Clash was working with the studio in recent months to develop a new character centered around “a ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ kind of movie about a kid and his stuffed animal that takes on a life of its own because of the child’s imagination.”
Although Warner Bros. has severed ties with the developing film, one insider close to the project revealed to the site that it’s unlikely another studio may be interested in the motion picture due to Clash’s recent controversy.
“After all that stuff happened, the studio was like, ‘We’re never going to mention this again,’” said our production insider, clearly relieved that the project had not gotten further along. Indeed, had things moved more rapidly with Clash — no script was ever written — Warner Bros. could have wound up with a costly CGI family film that almost surely would have tanked and, what’s more, would likely have tarnished the careers of those involved.
The award-winning puppeteer-actor has honed his skills creating and animating puppets since the age of 10. He landed his first paying television gig in his late teens for a CBS affiliate in Baltimore, where he ultimately attracted the attention of Muppet designer and future mentor, Kermit Love, who introduced the ambitious teen to legendary puppeteer Jim Henson, who created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and dozens of other famous character.
After working with “Sesame Street” for 28 years, Clash formally resigned from the company on November 20.
