Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Announces an Impressive Cast
The Dark Crystal first entered the pop culture fray as a fantastical theatrical offering during the 1982 Christmas season. Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, featuring then-groundbreaking animatronics and imaginative creatures from Henson’s Creature Shop, the Tolkien-esque fantasy film earned its share of fans, but was hardly a box-office smash. However, its fandom has apparently endured enough to warrant Netflix’s greenlight for offshoot series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
The 10-episode series – a prequel set many years before the events of the original 1982 movie – will be directed and executive-produced by Louis Leterrier, a French helmer who’s best known from work on The Transporter and its sequel, as well as Marvel Cinematic Universe sophomore offering The Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans, Now You See Me and The Brothers Grimsby. Leterrier brings serial television experience from 2017 on the Blackpills streaming series, Tycoon.
In the latest news on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Netflix has announced an overwhelmingly impressive voice cast. – Seriously, if you ever needed to see an example of the pure power of Netflix, just take a gander at this ridiculous cast.
Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Cast
Taron Egerton (Kingsman), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) and Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) will voice the show’s primary trio of Gelfling heroes, respectively, Rian, Brea and Deet (pictured above left to right). They will be joined by the following actors for the voices of Gelflings:
Caitriona Balfe (Outlander)
Helena Bonham-Carter (The King’s Speech)
Harris Dickinson (The Darkest Minds)
Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones)
Eddie Izzard (Ocean’s Thirteen)
Theo James (The Divergent Series)
Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Shazad Latif (Star Trek: Discovery)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Cloverfield Paradox)
Mark Strong (Kingsman)
Alicia Vikander (Tomb Raider)
The Skeksis & Mystics are voiced by:
Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy)
Mark Hamill (Knightfall, Star Wars)
Ralph Ineson (Game of Thrones)
Jason Isaacs (The OA)
Keegan-Michael Key (Key and Peele)
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (True Detective)
Simon Pegg (Mission Impossible)
Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine Nine)
Additional characters:
Donna Kimball (The Happytime Murders) will voice the character, Aughra.
Alice Dinnean, Louise Gold, Neil Sterenberg and Victor Yerrid – puppeteers from the production – will voice additional characters.
As Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company expresses of the cast in a statement:
“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 caliber 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.”
Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Release Date
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is being teased for a 2019 premiere. No specific date has been set.
Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Story
As the official logline reads:
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.
1982’s The Dark Crystal, set a thousand years ago, centers on the titular item – an artifact that maintains the equilibrium of the planet Thra – wielded by the malevolent Skeksis – a species resembling humanoid vultures – and the ordeal of the last two survivors of the elven-like Gelfling race in a desperate quest to retrieve and repair the crystal. Thus, Age of Resistance will depict the events leading to the setting of said conflict, centering on three Gelfling who discover the secret behind the power of the Skeksis – the Dark Crystal – and attempt to rally a rebellion across the land to battle their beaked oppressors.
Back in May 2017, Netflix released an Age of Resistance teaser video, which combines a historical interview with the late Jim Henson discussing his 1982 movie with prototype creature creations for the new series. Check out the video below.
As Netflix vice president of original content Cindy Holland stated of the series in the May 2017 announcement:
“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. I can’t wait for families around the world to see how we bring these unique characters to life.”
Lisa Henson also chimed in, lauding of the choice of director Louis Leterrier:
“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. 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.”
We’ll keep you updated on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance as news arrives.
Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.