We’ve kept our eye on The Happytime Murders because of how refreshingly twisted it sounds. The script by Todd Berger is set in a world where puppets co-exist with humans, but naturally, are second class citizens. One of these puppets is a private eye on the trail of a serial killer who is killing off the cast of the 80s television classic “The Happytime Gang.” That description sends my imagination to the moon and back, but as of tonight, we have a better foundation for such daydreams based on a pair of concept art images we’ve received. One is a headshot of Phil Phillips, our grizzled protagonist, cigarette in hand. The other shows Phil interacting with the realistic human environment in the middle of a playfully gruesome crime scene. (There’s stuffing everywhere!)

Okay, so maybe Katherine Heigl will star. But if there’s any movie where the intensity of her unlikeability could contribute to the tone of a movie, it’s The Happytime Murders. Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson, is directing. See the images after the jump.

Here’s the available synopsis: