Netflix first announced their upcoming Dark Crystal prequel series so long ago we almost forgot it was happening, but now the streaming network has finally released the premiere date for our return to the land of Thra, and it’s actually pretty soon.
August 30 will see the premiere of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, with all ten episodes of the new series hitting Netflix on that date. The series, a prequel to Jim Henson’s and Frank Oz’s 1984 dark fantasy classic, will tell the story of a group of three Gelflings who “discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis’ power and set out on an epic journey to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world.” The three main Gelflings are portrayed by Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nathalie Emmanuel, but they’re hardly the only big names in the insanely stacked cast. They’ll be joined by Harvey Fierstein, Mark Hamill, Ralph Ineson, Jason Isaacs, Keegan-Michael Key, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg, Caitriona Balfe, Helena Bonham Carter, Harris Dickinson, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Izzard, Theo James, Toby Jones, Shazad Latif, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mark Strong, Alicia Vikander, and Donna Kimball. Phew.
Entertainment Weekly was the first to report the premiere date, and the outlet also unveiled a slew of new photos from the series. Unsurprisingly, they look incredible and are filled with a level of puppety-goodness that literally hasn’t been seen since the 1980s. You can check them out below, courtesy of Kevin Baker/Netflix via EW.
Series director Louis Leterrier also spoke to EW about his decision to film with puppets instead of taking the easy route and using CGI. “I was not fighting against anyone, I was fighting against common sense and practicality,” he said. “It’s so so complicated to build a puppet, hire puppeteers, all that stuff. We chose the long, hardest road and we’re very thankful [we did]. It looks absolutely stunning.”
We’re inclined to agree. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance premieres on August 30.
