Hard to Resist the Land of Thra!

In case you missed it, last week it was announced that The Jim Henson Company and Netflix would be continuing their partnership with a 10 episode Dark Crystal prequel series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

Here is the official press release:

HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 18, 2017) - A beloved classic from the 80s marks its return as Netflix, the world’s leading internet entertainment network, will bring The Jim Henson Company’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance exclusively to members around the world. The 10-episode fantasy adventure series is a prequel to the groundbreaking 1982 fan favorite The Dark Crystal, and takes place many years before the events of the film. The series will be shot in the U.K., and will star an ensemble of fantastical, state-of-the-art creatures created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ and Brian Froud, the original feature’s conceptual designer.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance returns to the world of Thra with an all new adventure. 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.

Feature film director Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me, The Incredible Hulk) will executive produce the series and direct. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will be a Netflix original series produced by The Jim Henson Company and executive produced by Letterier, Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford. Longtime Henson collaborator Rita Peruggi will serve as producer and Henson’s Blanca Lista will serve as a co-executive producer. Leading the writing are co-executive producers Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (Life in a Year), and Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost, The 100).

“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,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President of Original Content at Netflix. “I can’t wait for families around the world to see how we bring these unique characters to life.”

“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,” said Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company. "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."

The press release was followed by a brief teaser trailer featuring Jim Henson's voice over and scenes from The Making of The Dark Crystal:

You're reaction to the trailer, like ours, was probably similar to our friend Rachel's:

And yes, if you look closely at the end, there's a new shot of SkekTek, the Skeksis scientist. Below is a comparison of him in the Resistance trailer vs the original film:

It's obvious the Henson Company wants to do right by fans and stay true to the tone of the original. Below is a special message series director Louis Leterrier released to fans: (via The Dark Crystal's official website)

With this announcement, and all the recent comic releases you may be wondering when exactly Age of Resistance takes place. 

As you can see, according to the official Dark Crystal site, Age of Resistance takes place between J.M. Lee's novel Shadows of the Dark Crystal and the Legends of the Dark Crystal manga series.

Though no release date has yet been given, the series is in production now and starts shooting this fall. 

With the 35th anniversary of original movie this year, the prequel series in production, monthly installments of the sequel comic, and The Ultimate Visual History coming out this fall, it'll be hard to resist the land of Thra this year!