Breaking News - The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance to premiere 30th August
Back in January, we reported that Netflix and The Jim Henson Company were working on a prequel series to 1982’s fantasy adventure “The Dark Crystal”. For those too young to have seen the original film, it introduced groundbreaking puppetry to create Thra, a magical planet populated with amazing alien creatures such as Geflings, Skeksis and urRus, battling for control of a powerful Crystal.
In many ways, the movie was the forerunner to 1986’s Labyrinth, that film perhaps better known today due to David Bowie’s role as the Goblin King, Jareth.
For those of us growing up in the 1980s, “The Dark Crystal” sits alongside Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, The Last Starfighter, TRON, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers as a seminal part of our childhood. Which is why Netflix’s recent announcement that the new series “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” will premiere on 30th August is so exciting.
At San Diego Comic-Con a tantalising sneak peek demonstrated the love, care, attention (and money) that has been invested in creating a fitting tribute to the legacy of Jim Henson.
Hand painting, sculpting and puppetry based on the work from the ‘80s (and including many who worked on the original film) is seamlessly blended with innovative digital filmmaking to create a truly beautiful world.
A stellar voice cast including Mark Hamill, Benedict Wong, Simon Pegg, Sigourney Weaver, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Helena Bonham-Carter, Eddie Izzard, Nathalie Emmanuel, Anya Taylor-Joy and Taron Egerton bring alive the fantastical characters so that “… you watch the show and you forget you’re watching puppets”.
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| Rian, Voiced by Taron Egerton | Deet, voiced by Nathalie Emmanuel | Brea, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy |
It’s clear that the producing companies have gone ‘all in’ to make the series the best they can.
Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company: “It is humbling to see so many truly gifted actors join The Dark Crystal universe by adding their voices to Age of Resistance. As with the original film, we are now adding a voice cast of the highest calibre that will provide textures and range to the puppetry performances that are the heart of the series. It is thrilling to see this assembled team of artists, puppeteers and now voice actors, many inspired by my father’s original film, work together to realize this unique world – through performance and craft – at a scale that is rarely seen today.”
Cindy Holland, VP of Original Series, Netflix: “To match the stunning visual world of ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’, we knew we had to entice some incredible voice talent to add dimension to the exquisite artistry of the puppeteers who bring the characters to life. I am proud to say that this may be one of the finest casts assembled from the world’s favourite TV shows and movies, and I am now even more excited for fans to come back to Thra with us, and for new viewers to discover this world for the very first time.”
From the final trailer (below), we anticipate a groundbreaking series over ten shows that will redefine filmmaking for streaming. It promises to be astonishing.
“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” is released on 30th August. We cannot wait. In the meantime, why not take a look at our movie posters for the original 1982 Dark Crystal movie.
Adam and the Art of the Movies team.
