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First Trailer for 'The Dark Crystal' Prequel Series Expand's Jim Henson's Fantasy World Like Never Before!

Written by Jenna Minnig. Published: June 07 2019

 

Nearly 27 years after its initial debut, The Dark Crystal is getting a long-awaited reboot. Jim Henson, who is most famously known for directing big names like Labyrinth and “Sesame Street”, released this film originally in 1982. This time, Netflix and The Jim Henson Company have teamed up to create “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance”, a prequel series to the original movie. The project was first announced 2 years ago, and now we are finally seeing the fruits of all that labor!

 

The original film from 1982, considered technologically groundbreaking at the time, centered around two magical races called the Mystics (the good guys) and the Skeksis (the bad guys) struggling for control over a magic crystal that holds their respective fates in its hands. Jen and Kira, two Gelfings, are tasked with the job of repairing the broken Crystal before the 3 Suns align; if they don't, the Skeksis will take over and rule the planet Thra forever.

 

The new prequel series will center around 3 Gelfings (voiced by Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nathalie Emmanuel) who launch a rebellion against the Skeksis. Sounds kind of like the Rogue One to Star Wars: A New Hope. Co-director of the 1982 original, Frank Oz, does not appear to be involved with the prequel.

 

The first teaser for the series was just released, and my first thought was: it’s creepy but beautiful at the same time. There’s no doubt that the visuals for this series will be much better than they were 27 years ago in terms of quality. I also think the content in the episodes will be more mature than the original film, given the time that there was to develop the ideas more thoroughly. Many who watched The Dark Crystal in 1982 will remember how innovative Henson’s stylistic approach was. It is clear that Netflix stayed true to these foundations in the new series. Unfortunately, Jim Henson passed away in 1990, so he will not be able to see the reboot of his iconic movie. However, based off of the teaser, I do not think he would be disappointed.

 

 

 

What did you think when you heard about the reboot?