Netflix’s 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' brings actual puppets back to screen
There is a beauty to Jim Henson's magical world of puppets. And at the 2019 San Diego International Comic-Con, fans of 'The Dark Crystal' got lucky to get an early preview of the first episode of 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' – an upcoming Netflix series that is a prequel to the 1982 film.
Very much like the original 1982 project, 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' will be making the use of actual puppets – a filmmaking technology that is long deemed defunct.
The story of 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' revolves around a young, passionate trio who are determined to leave no stone unturned to stop the 'darkening' of the world. According to the official synopsis provided by Netflix, '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."
Even though the movie employs puppets, director Louis Leterrier hopes that the audience will forget they're puppets. "The idea is you watch the show and you forget you're watching puppets," Leterrier, who is also an executive producer on the series, said in the video. The project has been in the making for over five years.
The makers are also making use of green screen instead of hand-drawn backgrounds. A visually stunning masterpiece, the success of 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' could prove to inspire several other filmmakers, perhaps even a generation, to use the same technique.
The video shows some of the work done in creating the puppets and enhancing them with CGI. It also gives us some beautiful shots of the mystical world of Thra where the series is set.
The footage from the show is so stunning, you almost can’t tell that these are puppets and not animated characters.
'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' boasts of a massive star-studded cast that makes for such an enticing viewing experience.
The three Gelfling heroes Rian, Brea, and Deet are voiced by Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nathalie Emmanuel. The cast also includes 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.
The latest addition to the cast includes Sigourney Weaver (of 'Alien' fame) who is set to voice the role of The Myth-Speaker, 'Game of Thrones' Lena Headey will be lending her voice to Maudra Fara, Benedict Wong from 'Doctor Strange' will be playing The General, The Collector will be voiced by Awkwafina (from 'Crazy Rich Asians'), Naia's character will be voiced by Hannah John-Kamen ('Ant-Man and the Wasp'), and the Muppets veteran puppeteer Dave Goelz is Baffi.
All 20 episodes of 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' will premiere on Netflix on August 30 this year. In the meantime, you can watch the 1982 feature film on the streaming service.
