Netflix has pulled off what multiple other producers and studios have failed to do over the past 15 years or so. They’re bringing back The Dark Crystal world and age of wonder as a 10-episode prequel series and released a short teaser to whet our appetites for the return of Skeksis and Garthim.
The new series is titled The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and will be set well before the events of the 1982 The Dark Crystal movie. Pre-production is underway in the U.K. with shooting scheduled to commence this fall.
Expect The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance release date to land somewhere in 2018.
Louis Letterier (Tycoon, The Incredible Hulk) will produce alongside Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford. Letterier will also direct with Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (Life in a Year), as well as Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost), writing the scripts.
The Dark Crystal has remained memorable for Jim Henson’s wonderful puppets that concept designer Brian Froud helped dream up. Froud is officially on board the revival series with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop providing practical puppets rather than CGI creations.
Netflix first partnered with The Jim Henson company last year for the preschool show Julie’s Greenroom. The seeds for The Dark Crystal revival were likely planted around the same time.
The streaming studio released a short single sentence The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance synopsis:
When three Gelfling discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis’ power, they set out on an epic journey to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world.
Here are some quotes that accompanied today’s Netflix press release:
“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will combine the art of puppetry perfected by The Jim Henson Company, with Louis’ vision, powerful storytelling and a mix of cutting-edge digital imagery and visual effects. I can’t wait for families around the world to see how we bring these unique characters to life.” – Cindy Holland, Vice President of Original Content at Netflix.
“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.” – Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company.
You can currently purchase the first three of 12 comic books for The Power of the Dark Crystal, the original Jim Henson Studios-approved story for what was originally planned to become a feature film sequel. When the film fell apart during pre-production, the story was re-purposed for the 12-issue comic book run.
Here’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance teaser trailer:
