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Joseph Gordon-Levitt to star in "Fraggle Rock" movie

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is bringing "Fraggle Rock" to the big screen.

The actor is set to produce and star in a live-action film adaptation of the beloved 1980s puppet TV series created by the late Jim Henson.

Variety, which reported the news Thursday, notes that the project has been in the works for nearly a decade but Gordon-Levitt's addition gives it a major boost.

"The first screen personas I ever loved were Henson creations, first on 'Sesame Street,' and then on 'Fraggle Rock," Gordon-Levitt, 34, said in a statement. "Jim Henson's characters make you laugh and sing, but they're also layered, surprising, and wise. From Oscar the Grouch, to Yoda, to the Fraggles.I've never stopped loving his work, even as a young frisky man, and on into adulthood. Collaborating with Lisa Henson makes me confident we can do something that Jim would have loved. I'm grateful and excited to be working with New Regency on this project."

"Fraggle Rock," co-produced by British TV company Television South, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, HBO and Henson Associates, centered on the cave-dwelling Fraggles that lived in Fraggle Rock, alongside ant-like Doozers and gigantic Gorgs. It ran from 1983-1987.

Gordon-Levitt has also been cast as Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone's upcoming thriller "Snowden," out Christmas Day.

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