Disney+ announced today that Saara Chaudry (The Mysterious Benedict Society, Holly Hobbie) and Anders Holm (Workaholics, Inventing Anna) have been cast as Hannah and JJ in the highly anticipated live-action series, THE MUPPETS MAYHEM, joining previously announced stars, Lilly Singh (A Little Late with Lilly Singh, Dollface) and Tahj Mowry (Smart Guy, Baby Daddy).
The comedy series follows The Electric Mayhem Band — Dr. Teeth on vocals and keyboards, Animal on drums, Floyd Pepper on vocals and bass, Janice on vocals and lead guitar, Zoot on saxophone, and Lips on trumpet — on an epic, music-filled journey to record their first-ever studio album. With the help of a driven young music executive, Nora Gibbs (Singh), the old-school Muppet band comes face to face with the current day music scene as they try to finally go platinum.
Chaudry will star as series regular Hannah, Nora's younger and arguably more accomplished sister. Raised in the era of likes, shares, and the idea that “if it wasn’t posted, it didn’t happen,” Hannah translated her e-acumen and talent for enthusiastic and aspirational make-up videos into a burgeoning social media empire, complete with a legion of “Fan-a-Hannahs.” Her success has unfortunately upended her dynamic with Nora.
Holm was cast as recurring guest star JJ, a formerly sheepish, nerdy intern-turned uber-cool, tech entrepreneur who happens to be Nora's ex. On the surface, his ambition knows no bounds, but the real JJ underneath still hopes to win back Nora.
Best known as co-creator, writer, and star of the hit Comedy Central show Workaholics, which ran for seven seasons, Holm can currently be seen in the Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna based on the New York Magazine article about Anna Delvey, the fake heiress. He hosts the This is Important podcast with fellow Workaholics creators Adam Devine, Blake Anderson, and Kyle Newacheck, and will soon be seen in About My Father alongside Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro and Paramount+ rom-com At Midnight. Other projects Holm has starred in includes NBC’s Champions, created by Mindy Kaling and Charlie Grandy, Netflix comedy The Package, as well as Netflix's Game Over, Man! which he wrote and starred in alongside Adam Devine and Blake Anderson. Holm also served as a producer on the movie with Devine, Anderson, and Kyle Newacheck, who collectively form the comedy group Mail Order Comedy. Holm's other credits include roles in Judy Greer’s A Happening of Monumental Proportions, New Line’s romantic comedy How to be Single, Nancy Meyers’ The Intern, and a scene-stealing recurring role as Pastor Casey in Hulu’s The Mindy Project. He has also had roles starring in the Sundance hit Unexpected, and was seen in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s The Interview and the Chris Rock vehicle Top Five.
Chaudry is an ACTRA and three-time Canadian Screen Award winning actor and singer who began her career with small parts in TV productions such as Degrassi: The Next Generation. She made her theatre debut as Little Cosette in the 25th anniversary production of Les Miserables, after which she returned to television in roles such as Howie on Nickelodeon’s Max & Shred, Amy on Daytime Emmy Award-nominated series Holly Hobbie, Saara in Daytime Emmy Award and Canadian Screen Award-winning series Dino Dana as well as Martina Crowe in Disney+ series The Mysterious Benedict Society. Chaudry was nominated for a 2017 Canadian Screen Award for her role as Clara in the Canadian Screen Award winning animated movie, The Curse of Clara: A Holiday Tale, and voices Parvana in the Oscar, Golden Globe and Canadian Screen Award nominated feature film, The Breadwinner, for which she received the ACTRA award for best voice performance and was nominated for an Annie Award. She also voices roles in Netflix's Charlie's Colorforms City, PAW Patrol: The Movie, Bakugan: Battle Planet, Let's Go Luna! The Dog & Pony Show, Rosie's Rules, and upcoming series, Daniel Spellbound.
THE MUPPETS MAYHEM is developed by Adam F. Goldberg, Bill Barretta and Jeff Yorkes based on characters created by Jim Henson. It is written by Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs), Bill Barretta (The Muppets, Muppets Haunted Mansion), and Jeff Yorkes, the executive producers are Goldberg, Barretta, Michael Bostick and Kris Eber. Yorkes is a co-executive producer. The Muppets Studio's David Lightbody and Leigh Slaughter are also executive producers.
The Disney Branded Television series is produced by ABC Signature and The Muppets Studio for Disney+.
About Disney+
Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the new general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ is part of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution segment. The service offers commercial-free streaming alongside an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney's long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as a standalone streaming service or as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.
About Disney Branded Television
Disney Branded Television encompasses the creative storytellers and production and content marketing teams responsible for Disney-branded television series, movies and other programming spanning live-action, animated and unscripted formats. The group fuels the Disney+ streaming platform and Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior linear networks with content geared toward kids, tweens, teens and families, with stories that are imaginative, aspirational and reflective of their world and experiences. Recent projects include "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," "Monsters at Work," "The Mysterious Benedict Society" and "Marvel's Spidey and his Amazing Friends." Disney Branded Television has created some of the most iconic and award-winning properties and franchises, including Peabody Award winners "Doc McStuffins" and "The Owl House"; Emmy Award winners "Big City Greens" and "Elena of Avalor"; the beloved "Mickey Mouse" cartoon shorts plus the Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) franchise, comprised of more than 100 titles.
About ABC Signature:
One of the Disney Television Studios, ABC Signature produces many of ABC Entertainment’s most significant hits, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “black-ish,” and “Station 19”; co-productions “The Good Doctor,” “A Million Little Things,” “The Rookie,” and “Home Economics,” and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” ABC Signature’s returning and upcoming series include Hulu’s co-production “Woke; “grown-ish” for Freeform; “The Wilds” for Amazon and “Godfather of Harlem” for EPIX. For streaming service Disney +, series include “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers,” “Big Shot” and the upcoming “National Treasure: Edge of History” and “The Muppets Mayhem.”