Boom! studios announced Monday that the long delayed Dark Crystal sequel, will finally see the light of day - as a 12-issue comic!
The Power of the Dark Crystal will be based on the movie's unproduced screenplay and will pick up years after the events of the first film.
Jen and Kira are now an out-of-touch king and queen and face a new threat from one of the crystal shards. The story will also introduce a new character, named Thurma.
According to the official synopsis, “Thurma is a young Fireling tasked with stealing a shard of the Dark Crystal to restore power to her realm. Along the way she’ll befriend the young Gelfling Kensho,who accidentally brings back the Skeksis and Mystics, and embark on one incredible adventure.”
As many of are well aware, the sequel’s production has been in development hell for decades. While Jim Henson was still alive, he wrote down some ideas for a sequel.
In 2005, the Henson Company officially announced the sequel, but it has been put on hiatus numerous times since.
Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Laboratory and Hotel Transylvania) and Australian filmmaker Shane Abbess were once attached the film. Abbess has been one of the few who’s gone on record about his problems with the production, in a Guardian interview he believed the producers didn’t care about Henson’s intentions for the sequel.
“When I quit The Dark Crystal it was because I’d fallen in love with Jim’s handwritten notes on what his sequel idea was,” he said. “All I wanted to do, for the fans and myself, was shoot his version of the film. But nobody gave a shit about what Jim Henson wanted.”While The Dark Crystal has since became a cult hit since its 1982 release, at the time, it garnered a mixed response from critics. There are many reason why the movie didn't get made, but the Henson company wanted to make sure the story got out to the public in some form.
“The creativity that went into writing and designing the feature film was such that we wanted our fans to be able to see and enjoy it now through this comic book series,” said Lisa Henson, President, and CEO of the Jim Henson Company. “We are very proud of the story that the screenwriters David Odell, Annette Odell, and Craig Pearce wrote. Our partners at Archaia and BOOM! Studios are the only people we could trust to expand and illustrate the story, and we are thrilled that it will soon see the light of day!”
British writer Simon Spurrier, known for Cry Havoc and X-Force storylines will be adapting the script, which was written by David Odell (who wrote the original film) along with Annette Odell, and Craig Pearce.
The first issue of The Power of the Dark Crystal will be released in comic stores and digitally Feb. 15, 2017, for the film’s 25th anniversary.
Who knows, like Turkey Hollow, this may spur interest in getting the film made again.
