The Dark Crystal

In this day and age, it’s so hard to keep anything a secret in the entertainment world. Chances are that if an individual or some studio is working on something “top secret” related to a beloved franchise, fans will hear about it well before an official announcement is made. However, Netflix and The Jim Henson Company have managed to keep mum on a brand new series based on the widely popular and groundbreaking fantasy adventure ‘The Dark Crystal’ and somehow scheduled it to premiere in late 2017. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, filmmaker Louis Leterrier will helm the 10-episode prequel series titled ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’ written by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews of ‘Life in a Year’ and Javier Grillo-Marxuach from ‘Lost’. Taking place in the world of Thra many years before the events seen in the 1982 film, we’ll follow three Gelfling as they discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis’ power and set out on an epic journey to ignite the fires of rebellion in order to save their world.

While no cast members have been revealed yet, we do know that the show will shoot in the U.K. and will feature an ensemble of creatures created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and Brian Froud, the original feature’s conceptual designer. Lisa Henson also shared her excitement for the project by saying that the team behind this series has great reverence for the original material:

“Louis Leterrier is passionate about the world of ‘The Dark Crystal’ and has an incredible creative vision for the series.  He brings this passion to every facet of the production as he leads the talented team of artists and writers that are bringing this entire universe to life. Netflix has a deep respect for my father’s original work and the many people it inspired. They are the perfect partners to create this next epic chapter in ‘The Dark Crystal’ story for new fans and the loyal fans who have waited so long for more adventures from this world.”

Previously, there were talks of a feature film sequel to ‘The Dark Crystal’. Based on a story from David Odell and Jim Henson developed during the developmental phase of the first movie,  Odell and his wife Annette Duffy revisited the continuation twenty-five years later and brought on a number of people to make it happen. But delays and budgetary concerns plagued that project at almost every step of the way, which ultimately led to the script going unused. However, Archaia Comics and BOOM! Studios picked up the script and announced that they would adapt ‘The Power of the Dark Crystal’ as a twelve-issue comic book series to be released in 2017. Now with the prequel series announced, fans of ‘The Dark Crystal’ have a ton to be excited about.

So as you prepare for your next trip to Thra, check out this teaser for the upcoming show from the popular streaming service:

What do you think about ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’ coming to Netflix? Who do you hope to see star in the series? And what aspects of the show are you most excited about seeing? Sound off in the comments.

horizontal lineDespite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences far too much. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram