THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE - Canceled!

[AndyDursin]

I have to admit that I'm really warming up to the idea of this sequel -- reuniting Brian Froud and others involved with the first film with Tartakovsky is compelling. What's more is that this is an actual SEQUEL and not a remake, which I also find intriguing. Hopefully Trevor Jones (who apparently the IMDB has listed as composer) wil likewise return...it's certainly sounding more appealing after seeing this promo flyer:

Ne

[Paul MacLean]

Cool!

Hope IMDB is right about Trevor Jones. Wouldn't be the same without him. No mention of the film on Jones' own site, but his site isn't updated regularly (and doesn't list any upcoming assignments anyway).


Paul

[AndyDursin]

Lengthy article on the movie from MTV.com with new Froud images!

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles ... tory.jhtml

Looking good

[Paul MacLean]

I honestly thought the original Dark Crystal was a better adaptation of the Lord of the Rings than any of Peter Jackson's films!

Its indeed a thrill to know that Brian Froud is designing the new film, as it was largely his designs that made the first film so impressive.

Here's hoping Trevor Jones is along for the ride as well!

[AndyDursin]

There's a report that this is now headed straight to DVD.

The Henson Co. responded and said it's still in development but did not deny the claims...sad if that turns out to be the case.

http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2008/010708.shtml

Dark Crystal sequel may be headed to DVD
By Phillip Chapman, Muppet Central
Updated: January 8, 2008

For the past year, news has been fairly quiet on Henson's development of the planned sequel to the beloved 1982 film, "The Dark Crystal". The Latino Review posted the following update about the forthcoming Dark Crystal sequel on it's web site.

...fans of the original Dark Crystal will be excited to know about a sequel also being released this year on DVD:

Set on the mythical planet Thra, the follow-up takes place years after the ending of the original and begins with Jen and Kira welcoming to their castle a guest from the center of the planet, Thurma the fire girl, who, in a desperate attempt to save her people, re-shatters the Crystal.

“The first few times it came up we thought it would be impossible because the first movie was such a huge production in its day. How could we even do something like that because it was such a huge undertaking the first time around?” admits [Lisa] Henson. “But then we started talking about a very interesting hybrid of puppets and CGI, and we realized it was doable and we got very excited about it.”

What is most interesting about this report is the possibillity that "The Power of The Dark Crystal" may not be a theatrical release as many hoped and was initially announced. Instead, "The Power of The Dark Crystal" may be released immediately to DVD in late 2008 or early 2009.

Fans have hoped that "The Power of The Dark Crystal" and the announced Fraggle Rock movie would help to revolutionize the company that Jim Henson founded, however, questions now arise over how much success a made-for-DVD sequel can have. This news may also increase the possibility that the Fraggle Rock movie will become a direct-to-DVD release as well.

In May 2006, Brian Henson confirmed that “We are trying to pull the business pieces together on a Dark Crystal sequel. That one’s pretty far along. It’s got a good, strong script, a great vision for how to do it and we’re just trying to [put it together].”

Award-winning animation director Genndy Tartakovsky, who created the hit series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Samurai Jack and Dexter’s Laboratory was announced as the director of "The Power of The Dark Crystal" in February 2006.

Variety originally reported that a sequel was in development in May 2005.

Editor's Note: Nicole Goldman, vice president of marketing and publicity for The Jim Henson Company has issued the following official statement related to the film's release.

“We are thrilled and grateful that fans are so interested in the progress of ‘Power of the Dark Crystal’ – an especially important project to us that will require great care and attention throughout the production process. A project of this scale takes a lot of time and energy and we continue to work through the development phase, maintaining our original vision of a film for theatrical release that combines traditional puppetry and animatronics with cutting edge CG animation. We’ll be sure to keep fans up to date as more information is confirmed.”

[Eric W.]

There's a report that this is now headed straight to DVD.

Kiss of death.

[Paul MacLean]

Jim Henson was a visionary who had the ability to galvanize those around him -- both artists and executives -- and generate enthusiasm for an innovative project. But since Henson's death, the company has lacked vision, and direction. The Muppet Christmas Carol was terrific, but Muppet Treasure Island was abominable, as was the embarrassing attempt to create a new Muppet Show.

Muppets in Space wasn't bad, but trying to attempt things along the lines of The Dark Crystal, or the Storyteller series, seem impossible to realize without Henson as a guiding creative force.

[Eric W.]

Jim Henson was a visionary who had the ability to galvanize those around him -- both artists and executives -- and generate enthusiasm for an innovative project. But since Henson's death, the company has lacked vision, and direction. The Muppet Christmas Carol was terrific, but Muppet Treasure Island was abominable, as was the embarrassing attempt to create a new Muppet Show.

Muppets in Space wasn't bad, but trying to attempt things along the lines of The Dark Crystal, or the Storyteller series, seem impossible to realize without Henson as a guiding creative force.

Absolutely agreed!

[John Johnson]

POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL

A 3-D sequel to 1982's cult-favorite fantasy film THE DARK CRYSTAL called POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL is in the works, to be directed by Australian brothers Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig (writers and directors of Undead and Daybreakers), the Jim Henson Co. announced yesterday.
The screenplay was written by Australian Craig Pearce (Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet"), based on an original script by Annette Duffy and David Odell.
The sequel is set hundreds of years after the events of the first movie, when the world has once again fallen into darkness, and follows the adventures of a mysterious girl made of fire who, together with a Gelfling outcast, steals a shard of the legendary Crystal in an attempt to reignite the dying sun that exists at the center of the planet.
Like the original, the new movie will mix live action and puppets, as well as visual effects.
Set hundreds of years after the events of the first movie when the world has once again fallen into darkness, POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL follows the adventures of a mysterious girl made of fire who, together with a Gelfling outcast, steals a shard of the legendary Crystal in an attempt to reignite the dying sun that exists at the center of the planet.

http://www.isnnews.net/

[Paul MacLean]

POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL

A 3-D sequel to 1982's cult-favorite fantasy film THE DARK CRYSTAL called POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL is in the works, to be directed by Australian brothers Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig (writers and directors of Undead and Daybreakers), the Jim Henson Co. announced yesterday.

Oh great. More 3-D.

And isn't this almost identical to the announcement that was made in 2006?

Sorry, its been too long. I don't even care about this movie anymore. In fact these days I can't dredge-up much enthusiasm for any movies.

[AndyDursin]

This is somewhat interesting news because of Daybreakers, which I reviewed last week. Clearly it's gonna be live action and the Spierig brothers know how to fashion a genre film on the cheap because Daybreakers wasn't half bad for what it was and felt old fashioned. For the budget and such, I think they are actually a solid pick, and its probably a sign that this might really happen since they're coming off a fairly well received horror flick.

Obviously they would want Trevor Jones back to handle the score, but truthfully, Christopher Gordon's Daybreakers score was superior to anything Jones has written in years.

[Paul MacLean]

Obviously they would want Trevor Jones back to handle the score, but truthfully, Christopher Gordon's Daybreakers score was superior to anything Jones has written in years.

It will probably wind-up being scored by by Ramin Djawadi or Daft Punk!

[AndyDursin]

Obviously they would want Trevor Jones back to handle the score, but truthfully, Christopher Gordon's Daybreakers score was superior to anything Jones has written in years.

It will probably wind-up being scored by by Ramin Djawadi or Daft Punk!

Nooooooo!! Lol.

I would imagine since this will probably be shooting overseas or down under to save money, Jones would probably still be a strong possibility and obviously you'd want to keep some cohesion there. If it's not him it would likely be Gordon because of his relationship with them, which wouldn't be bad at all given his Daybreakers score.

[AndyDursin]

Here's the full press release. Looks like this is finally going to happen, and I guess I'm cautiously optimistic. The 3-D angle -- listen I don't like it one bit, but the reality is that it might help secure theatrical play in this instance since a sequel to a nearly 30-year old fantasy isn't a "sure thing" in this day and age. As the PR statement says, this is an independent project not being bankrolled by a studio, but hopefully someone like Sony or Disney will pick it up -- and fast, since it implies the "next step" is to get a major player involved. Indeed, maybe they need to get a studio involved before principal photography even begins -- at least that's what I got out of it.

Off the bat, as I thought, this is shooting in Australia so the Spierig brothers are on the hot track there after DAYBREAKERS. I guarantee you Christopher Gordon, another Aussie, undoubtedly will score it if they don't bring Trevor Jones back. That would be a good thing given the plethora of other, horrible alternatives...

Overall the fact this is being done with live action/puppets and some CGI, I like how this is setting up. Gendy whateverhisnamewas wasn't a film director, these guys did a nice job with a modest budget on DAYBREAKERS so it'll be very interesting to see what they come up with.

In a joint announcement by Omnilab Media's Christopher Mapp and The Jim Henson Company's Lisa Henson, Australian based Omnilab Media is teaming up with The Jim Henson Company to bring the much anticipated fantasy sequel, "Power of the Dark Crystal" to the big screen in stereoscopic 3D. The highly anticipated film will be among the most ambitious projects to ever be produced in Australia.

The anticipated film has been in development since 2005. Henson continues to maintain their original vision for a theatrical release.

Power of the Dark Crystal will be produced by the Australia based production arm of Omnilab Media, Ambience Entertainment. The Jim Henson Company's executive producers are Brian Henson, Lisa Henson and Jason Lust. Omnilab Media's executive producers are Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street and David Whealy. Cinemarket Films' Peter D. Graves ("Terminator Salvation") rounds out the executive producer team.

Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig, writers and directors of "Undead" and most recently, "Daybreakers," have come aboard to direct the screenplay written by Australian Craig Pearce ("Moulin Rouge," "Strictly Ballroom," "Romeo + Juliet") based on an original script by Annette Duffy and David Odell. The legendary fantasy artist Brian Froud will reprise his role as conceptual designer of the film, which will use a stunning mix of live action and traditional puppetry combined with visual and special effects produced entirely in Australia. Omnilab-affiliated Iloura ("Where the Wild Things Are," "The Pacific," "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark") has already begun work on the film's complex CGI elements. With this team in place, next steps will be to secure worldwide distribution.

"Power of the Dark Crystal is an exciting and ambitious undertaking and, having worked on previous projects with the top-notch talent and crews that Australia offers, we know we have assembled the right team to deliver the sequel to one of the most enduringly popular titles in the Henson library. Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig are sure to create a film that will continue the legacy of the original and exceed the expectations of our loyal fans," said Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company. "We are especially enthusiastic to be working with Omnilab Media, a strong and growing force in worldwide film finance and production."

"We are very pleased to be producing this wonderful and fantastical film in Australia. The Power of The Dark Crystal will showcase the depth of talent Australia has to offer up on the international stage, including the extremely gifted directing team of Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig. The Jim Henson Company has consistently delivered an amazing range of entertainment over generations and is an iconic creative studio that we are proud to have partner with us," added Christopher Mapp from Omnilab Media.

Michael Spierig said, "We feel a tremendous amount of responsibility in telling this story with the same meticulous care that Jim Henson and Frank Oz gave the 1982 original." Added Peter Spierig, "This is a chance to take the world of puppetry into the modern age by using modern techniques (like motion capture CGI) and the tried and true methods (like puppetry and animatronics) to create a one hundred percent real world that is unique to 'The Dark Crystal'."

Set hundreds of years after the events of the first movie when the world has once again fallen into darkness, "Power of the Dark Crystal" follows the adventures of a mysterious girl made of fire who, together with a Gelfling outcast, steals a shard of the legendary Crystal in an attempt to reignite the dying sun that exists at the center of the planet.

[Monterey Jack]

Maybe not exactly what we were expecting, but...