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| + | [[Image:KIRA_QUEEN.jpg|thumb|300px|Concept art of [[Kira|Queen Kira]].]] |
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| − | {{movie|date=[[2009]]|runtime=|director=[[Genndy Tartakovsky]]|writer= [[David Odell]], [[Annette Duffy]]|composer=[[Trevor Jones]]|studio=[[The Jim Henson Company]], [[Orphanage Animation Studios]], and [[Odyssey Entertainment]]|rating=}} |
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+ | [[Image:Power_of_Dark_Crystal_2.JPG|thumb|300px|Concept art of Thurma.]] |
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| − | [[Image:Power_of_Dark_Crystal_2.JPG|thumb|300px|Thurma]] |
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| − | '''Power of the Dark Crystal''' |
+ | '''''Power of the Dark Crystal''''' was a proposed sequel to the 1982 fantasy film ''[[The Dark Crystal]]''. |
| + | Set hundreds of years after the events of the first movie when [[Thra|the world]] has once again fallen into darkness, "Power of the Dark Crystal" follows the adventures of a mysterious girl made of fire who, together with a Gelfling outcast, steals a shard of the legendary Crystal in an attempt to reignite the dying sun that exists at the center of the planet.<ref name="5.4.10-PressRelease">[http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/omnilab-media-and-the-jim,1280588.shtml Omnilab Media and The Jim Henson Company Join Forces to Launch the Australian Feature Production of the Highly Anticipated Power of the Dark Crystal]. The Jim Henson Company. May 4, 2010.</ref> |
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| − | ==Plot== |
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| − | "Power of the Dark Crystal" is set many years after the events of the first movie, and [[Jen]] and [[Kira]] are now king and queen. When the [[Gelflings]] welcome a fiery and an unexpected visitor to their castle, they learn that the very existence of the [[U-mun]] people, who live in the searing heat in the center of the earth, is threatened by the death of their sun. There is apparently only one thing powerful enough to heal the dying sun - a [[Crystal Shard|shard]] of [[The Pure Crystal|the Crystal]]. |
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| + | ==Early development and setbacks== |
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| − | The Gelflings refuse the U-mun request for a crystal shard, as breaking the crystal would disturb the peaceful surface world's balance. However the desperate visitor takes matters into her own hands and steals a shard, making a hasty escape through tunnels deep in the bowels of the castle. The surface world once again falls into darkness - as the [[UrSkek]] split into [[Mystics]] and [[Skeksis]]. So begins the adventure of [[Thurma]], a girl "made of fire", who bands together with [[Kensho]], an outcast Gelfling, in an adventure in the "inner-world" over the fate of the planet. |
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| + | The film project was first announced in ''[[Variety]]'' in May 2005 when [[the Jim Henson Company]] bought a script by [[David Odell]] and Annette Duffy.<ref>"[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117922745.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 ''Dark'' sequel crystalizes. Odell, Duffy penned script; no helmer attached]", Adam Dawtrey, Variety. May 13, 2005.</ref> |
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| + | In January 2006, the Henson Company announced that Orphange Animation Studio would be providing CG animation elements and named Orphanage's Genndy Tartakovsky (creator of ''Dexter's Laboratory'' and ''Samurai Jack'') as director for the film.<ref>"[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117937178.html? Henson taps ''Dark'' lord; Helmer becomes ''Crystal'' clear]", Variety, Michael Fleming. January 31, 2006.</ref> |
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| + | [[Brian Froud]], the designer of the original film, worked with the Henson Company on concept art for the new film. Tartakovsky and Froud appeared with [[Lisa Henson]] and [[Michael Polis]] to talk about the film at the [[San Diego Comic-Con]] in July 2006.<ref>"[http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=15603 The Jim Henson Presentation at Comic-Con!]", Comingsoon.net, Scott Chitwood. July 22, 2006.</ref> Froud's concept art for [[Kira|Queen Kira]] was featured on the cover of ''Cinefantastique''.<ref>"[http://powerofthedarkcrystal.blogspot.com/2007/07/power-of-dark-crystal-makes.html ''Power of the Dark Crystal'' makes Cinefantastique's cover]", July 20, 2006.</ref> More concept art was revealed in October 2006, accompanying an article on MTV.com. <ref>"[http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1542247/10032006/story.jhtml ''Dark Crystal'' Sequel Gives Jim Henson's Puppet Epic a Second Chance]", MTV.com, Larry Carroll. October 4, 2006.</ref> |
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| − | ==Production Notes== |
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| − | Award-winning animation director [[Genndy Tartakovsky]], who created and directed "[[Star Wars|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]", "Samurai Jack" and "Dexter’s Laboratory", was tapped to direct ''Power of the Dark Crystal'' in February 2006. Tartakovsky said, "The original Dark Crystal was one of the most inspirational and imaginative pictures of its time, so it's a real honor for me to be able to bring the world of The Dark Crystal to a whole new generation." <ref>[http://www.henson.com/company/20060201.html Official Henson Press Release]</ref> |
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| + | The MTV.com article provided a plot summary: |
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| − | {{quote|As an auteur of such exciting and fantastical adventure projects, Genndy is the perfect director to bring to life Power of the Dark Crystal...I am sure that his visualization of Brian Froud’s designs will thrill fans of the original film as well as audiences who are meeting these beloved characters for the first time.}} |
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| − | ::- [[Lisa Henson]] |
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| + | {{quote|The ''Power'' script continues the tale of elfin heroes [[Jen]] and [[Kira]], last seen returning the shard to the evil crystal and seemingly abolishing the vulture-like [[Skeksis]] from their land. Set many years after the first flick, ''Power'' casts Jen and Kira as king and queen, now overseeing a kingdom whose peace is disturbed by a visit from the underground-dwelling U-mun people. After the [[Gelflings]] refuse their request for a shard of crystal that could preserve the U-mun race, a desperate visitor takes it anyway, threatening their world with another thousand years of chaos.}} |
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| − | [[Orphanage Animation Studios]] was brought on board as a producing partner to head up the CG animation elements that will be incorporated with the film’s live-action animatronic characters. [[Odyssey Entertainment]] was commissioned to represent worldwide sales and distribution on the film. <ref>[http://www.henson.com/company/20060201.html Official Henson Press Release]</ref> |
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| + | [[Lisa Henson]] announced at Comic-Con 2007 that the production had hit a "setback": |
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| − | {{quote|Puppetry has come a long way since "The Dark Crystal,". When "The Dark Crystal" was made, it was the first time that all those techniques were really refined to the degree that they could be put in a feature film. Since then, puppetry has come so far that the puppets we're going to use are going to be much more emotive than the originals. In addition to that, we can augment them with digital effects, but very subtly.}} |
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| − | ::- Lisa Henson |
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| + | {{quote|Fans of ''The Dark Crystal'' did detect that we were moving a little slowly, and it’s kind of true - we had a little setback but are back on track. The movie will not be coming out until 2009 so we’re not going to be showing anything for a while... <ref>"[http://www.muppetnewsflash.com/2007/09/henson-podcasts-shares-comic-con-q.html Henson Podcasts Shares Comic-Con Q&A]", The Muppet Newsflash, Greg James. September 10, 2007. The quote is taken from [[The Jim Henson Company Podcast]] episode 14. September 10, 2007.</ref>}} |
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| − | The script was written by [[David Odell]] and his wife, [[Annette Duffy]]. Odell had written the script for the original Dark Crystal film with [[Jim Henson]]. Odell says he had once discussed this sequel concept with Jim Henson. Although they didn't get too far into developing it, Odell claims to have had a pretty good memory of the basic bones of the sequel idea. <ref>[http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1542247/10032006/story.jhtml MTV.com Interview]</ref> Fantasy artist [[Brian Froud]], designer for the original film, returned to design the new characters and locations. [[Trevor Jones]], who scored the original film, is set to score the sequel. |
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| + | During this time Henson worked to adjust the film's script. At one point Cory Edwards was asked to work on a rewrite of the script for the sequel. While a deal never came together for Edwards, he says that the offer led to conversations with the studio that resulted in him being picked as writer/director for [[Fraggle Rock (movie)|the ''Fraggle Rock'' movie]].<ref>[http://fullecirclestuff.blogspot.com/2009/01/conversation-with-cory-edwards.html Full Circle Stuff: A Conversation with Cory Edwards]</ref> |
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| − | {{quote|When we created the original "Dark Crystal," we created a whole world. It had many levels, and we already invented a lot of things that we never got to see in the movie. Now we have the opportunity to explore.}} |
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| − | ::-[[Brian Froud]] (October 2006) |
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| + | [[Nicole Goldman]], the Henson Company's VP of Marketing and Publicity, responded to fans' inquires as to the status of the project on [[the Jim Henson Company Podcast]] in January 2008, stating: |
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| − | {{quote|We’re working on 'Power of the Dark Crystal' and those are animatronics puppets but with a whole lot of cool compositing techniques and animation enhancement that will be animatronics better then you’ve ever seen them done.}} |
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| − | :: - Brian Henson (July 2007)<ref>[http://powerofthedarkcrystal.blogspot.com/2007/09/production-update-from-comic-con.html Comic-Con 2007 - Henson Company Q&A]</ref> |
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| + | {{quote|[The film] is deep in development here, and we are as committed to it as ever. We are still planning our original vision of a film, which is a theatrical release... We are anticipating a beautiful blend of puppetry and animatronics with CG animation backgrounds as we've said all along... We're all very excited to see the film come together, and we'll be sure to update the fans to the progress as we have those updates confirmed. So stay tuned for more information on Power of the Dark Crystal! <ref>[[The Jim Henson Company Podcast]], episode 22. January 14, 2008.</ref>}} |
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| − | The film was originally planned to be released in "spring 2008"; however due to several production setbacks the film is now planned for a [[2009]] release. |
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| + | ==Partnership with Omnilab Media== |
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| − | ==Credits== |
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| + | [[File:Michael_and_peter_spierig.jpg|thumb|300px|Michael and Peter Spierig.]] |
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| − | *'''Produced by:''' [[The Jim Henson Company]] in association with [[Orphanage Animation Studios]] |
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| + | On February 4, 2009, [[The Muppet Newsflash]] reported that development on the project was still underway, with Craig Pearce (''[[Romeo and Juliet|Romeo + Juliet]]'', ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]'') having completed a rewrite of the screenplay, with the Australian company Omnilab Media set to co-produce.<ref>"[http://www.muppetnewsflash.com/2009_02_01_archive.html Dark Crystal Sequel Update]", The Muppet Newsflash, Greg James. February 4, 2009.</ref> It was later confirmed by a May 2010 press release that Omnilab Media and The Jim Henson Company were teaming up to bring the film to the big screen and that Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig (writers and directors of "Undead" and "Daybreakers") would be directing the project, using the screenplay written by Pearce which was based on the original script by Duffy and Odell. The 2010 announcement also reaffirmed Froud's involvement as conceptual designer on the project.<ref name="5.4.10-PressRelease">[http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/omnilab-media-and-the-jim,1280588.shtml Omnilab Media and The Jim Henson Company Join Forces to Launch the Australian Feature Production of the Highly Anticipated Power of the Dark Crystal]. The Jim Henson Company. May 4, 2010.</ref> |
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| − | *'''Distributed by:''' [[Odyssey Entertainment]] |
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| − | *'''Producers:''' [[Lisa Henson]] and [[Scott Stewart]] |
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| − | *'''Executive Producers:''' [[Brian Henson]], with [[Ralph Kamp]] and [[Louise Goodsill]] |
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| − | *'''Screenplay by:''' [[David Odell]] and [[Annette Duffy]] |
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| − | *'''Score by:''' [[Trevor Jones]] |
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| + | The film was planned to be produced and released in stereoscopic 3D using a mix of live-action and traditional puppetry combined with visual and special effects. Digital effects would have been produced by Omnilab Media's Australia-based production arm, Ambience Entertainment. Omnilab-affiliated Iloura ("[[Where the Wild Things Are (film)|Where the Wild Things Are]]," "The Pacific," "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark") had started work on the film's CGI elements as of May 2010.<ref name="5.4.10-PressRelease">[http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/omnilab-media-and-the-jim,1280588.shtml Omnilab Media and The Jim Henson Company Join Forces to Launch the Australian Feature Production of the Highly Anticipated Power of the Dark Crystal]. The Jim Henson Company. May 4, 2010.</ref> |
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| − | No further cast and crew announcements have been made. But it has been said that The Jim Henson Company wants to involve many of the people who worked on the original movie. Genndy Tartakovsky says he hopes to involve [[Frank Oz]], co-director of the original film, in some way during production <ref>[http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1542247/10032006/story.jhtml MTV.com Interview]</ref>. |
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| + | In the May 2010 press release, Lisa Henson commented on the Company's partnership with Omilab Media and the Spierg brothers: |
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| + | {{quote|Power of the Dark Crystal is an exciting and ambitious undertaking and, having worked on previous projects with the top-notch talent and crews that Australia offers, we know we have assembled the right team to deliver the sequel to one of the most enduringly popular titles in the Henson library. Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig are sure to create a film that will continue the legacy of the original and exceed the expectations of our loyal fans. We are especially enthusiastic to be working with Omnilab Media, a strong and growing force in worldwide film finance and production. <ref name="5.4.10-PressRelease">"[http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/omnilab-media-and-the-jim,1280588.shtml Omnilab Media and The Jim Henson Company Join Forces to Launch the Australian Feature Production of the Highly Anticipated Power of the Dark Crystal]". The Jim Henson Company. May 4, 2010.</ref>}} |
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| − | ==See Also== |
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| − | *[[:Category:Dark Crystal|Dark Crystal Category]] |
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| − | *''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' |
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| − | *"[[Legends of the Dark Crystal]]" |
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| − | *[[The Dark Crystal (TV)|''Dark Crystal'' TV show]] |
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| + | In a November 2010 interview, the Spierig brothers acknowledged that audiences may be growing skeptical about remakes and sequels. Peter Spierig said, "Where we can, we're keeping to the spirit of Henson... We went to a convention not so long ago and we had a number of people come up and say, 'Don't you dare rape my childhood.' When one person says that, you take it on board. But when a bunch of people say it, you think, 'Wow, this really means something to them.'" Michael Spierig added, "so the last thing we want to do is screw it up." <ref>Dalton, Trent. [http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/dark-crystal-sequel-directors-peter-and-michael-spierig-keep-it-real-with-muppets/story-e6freqex-1225955222271 Dark Crystal sequel directors Peter and Michael Spierig keep it real with Muppets]. The Courier-Mail. November 18, 2010.</ref> |
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| − | ==External links== |
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| + | |||
| − | * [http://powerofthedarkcrystal.blogspot.com/ ''Power of the Dark Crystal'' news blog] |
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| + | Lisa Henson spoke of the production in a December 2010 interview, stating: |
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| − | * [http://www.muppetcentral.com/news/2005/051305.shtml Muppet Central news item] - May 13, 2005 |
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| + | |||
| − | * [http://www.henson.com/company/20060201.html Official Press Release] - February 2, 2006 |
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| + | {{quote|It's in pre-production, and rather a slow pre-production at that. We have been partners with a company called Omni Lab based in Sydney, Australia. They're a very up-and-coming company and they’re very ambitious for ''Dark Crystal''. In partnership with them, we’ve made the movie into a much bigger film so it's taking its time to get going... Were planning on using puppetry as well as CGI and even the puppets will be augmented with CGI. But we would like to have a pretty strong component of puppetry because of that tactile quality that the original puppets have. It would be a lot simpler to make a CGI movie but we’d like to hang on to some of the puppetry.<ref>[http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/12/23/lisa-henson-keep-the-puppets-engage-the-girls/ Lisa Henson: Keep the Puppets, Engage the Girls] December 23, 2010</ref>}} |
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| − | * [http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=23606 Promotional flyer] - June 16, 2006 (Ain't It Cool News) |
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| + | At the Museum of Moving Image in Astoria Queens in July, 2011, [[Craig Shemin]] was asked how things were going with the movie. He explained that the film was still in development, but it was unlikely they would start filming soon. |
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| + | At the "Jim Henson: Friends and Family Panel" at the Museum of the Moving Image in September 2011, Cheryl Henson was asked about the upcoming film. She stated that the project had been put on hold until further notice. |
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| + | In February 2012, it was officially announced that the project was no longer in production.<ref>[http://if.com.au/2012/02/08/article/The-Dark-Crystal-sequel-The-Power-of-the-Dark-Crystal-on-hiatus/JZZWWLEJAN.html ''If Magazine''] "The Dark Crystal sequel, The Power of the Dark Crystal, on hiatus" by Brendan Swift, 2/8/12</ref> Apparently no one told Tartakovsky. He was still uncertain about the status in October 2012: "I haven't heard from the Dark Crystal people in a long time, so I feel that's gone."<ref>Eric Larnick, "[http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/10/01/genndy-tartakovsky-popeye-samurai-jack-dexter-lab-movie-animation-news/#ixzz28NN745PT Five Things We Learned From Genndy Tartakovsky About Popeye, Samurai Jack & The Future of Animation]", ''Comics Alliance'', 1 October 2012.</ref> |
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| − | + | {{DEFAULTSORT:Power Of The Dark Crystal}} |
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| − | [[Category: |
+ | [[Category:Unfinished Movies]] |
| − | [[Category:Henson Company Movies]] |
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| − | [[Category:Creature Shop Movies]] |
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Revision as of 23:30, 4 October 2012
Concept art of Queen Kira.
Concept art of Queen Kira and King Jen.
Concept art of Thurma.
Power of the Dark Crystal was a proposed sequel to the 1982 fantasy film The Dark Crystal.
Set hundreds of years after the events of the first movie when the world has once again fallen into darkness, "Power of the Dark Crystal" follows the adventures of a mysterious girl made of fire who, together with a Gelfling outcast, steals a shard of the legendary Crystal in an attempt to reignite the dying sun that exists at the center of the planet.[1]
Early development and setbacks
The film project was first announced in Variety in May 2005 when the Jim Henson Company bought a script by David Odell and Annette Duffy.[2]
In January 2006, the Henson Company announced that Orphange Animation Studio would be providing CG animation elements and named Orphanage's Genndy Tartakovsky (creator of Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack) as director for the film.[3]
Brian Froud, the designer of the original film, worked with the Henson Company on concept art for the new film. Tartakovsky and Froud appeared with Lisa Henson and Michael Polis to talk about the film at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2006.[4] Froud's concept art for Queen Kira was featured on the cover of Cinefantastique.[5] More concept art was revealed in October 2006, accompanying an article on MTV.com. [6]
The MTV.com article provided a plot summary:
Lisa Henson announced at Comic-Con 2007 that the production had hit a "setback":
During this time Henson worked to adjust the film's script. At one point Cory Edwards was asked to work on a rewrite of the script for the sequel. While a deal never came together for Edwards, he says that the offer led to conversations with the studio that resulted in him being picked as writer/director for the Fraggle Rock movie.[8]
Nicole Goldman, the Henson Company's VP of Marketing and Publicity, responded to fans' inquires as to the status of the project on the Jim Henson Company Podcast in January 2008, stating:
Partnership with Omnilab Media
Michael and Peter Spierig.
On February 4, 2009, The Muppet Newsflash reported that development on the project was still underway, with Craig Pearce (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!) having completed a rewrite of the screenplay, with the Australian company Omnilab Media set to co-produce.[10] It was later confirmed by a May 2010 press release that Omnilab Media and The Jim Henson Company were teaming up to bring the film to the big screen and that Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig (writers and directors of "Undead" and "Daybreakers") would be directing the project, using the screenplay written by Pearce which was based on the original script by Duffy and Odell. The 2010 announcement also reaffirmed Froud's involvement as conceptual designer on the project.[1]
The film was planned to be produced and released in stereoscopic 3D using a mix of live-action and traditional puppetry combined with visual and special effects. Digital effects would have been produced by Omnilab Media's Australia-based production arm, Ambience Entertainment. Omnilab-affiliated Iloura ("Where the Wild Things Are," "The Pacific," "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark") had started work on the film's CGI elements as of May 2010.[1]
In the May 2010 press release, Lisa Henson commented on the Company's partnership with Omilab Media and the Spierg brothers:
In a November 2010 interview, the Spierig brothers acknowledged that audiences may be growing skeptical about remakes and sequels. Peter Spierig said, "Where we can, we're keeping to the spirit of Henson... We went to a convention not so long ago and we had a number of people come up and say, 'Don't you dare rape my childhood.' When one person says that, you take it on board. But when a bunch of people say it, you think, 'Wow, this really means something to them.'" Michael Spierig added, "so the last thing we want to do is screw it up." [11]
Lisa Henson spoke of the production in a December 2010 interview, stating:
At the Museum of Moving Image in Astoria Queens in July, 2011, Craig Shemin was asked how things were going with the movie. He explained that the film was still in development, but it was unlikely they would start filming soon.
At the "Jim Henson: Friends and Family Panel" at the Museum of the Moving Image in September 2011, Cheryl Henson was asked about the upcoming film. She stated that the project had been put on hold until further notice.
In February 2012, it was officially announced that the project was no longer in production.[13] Apparently no one told Tartakovsky. He was still uncertain about the status in October 2012: "I haven't heard from the Dark Crystal people in a long time, so I feel that's gone."[14]
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Omnilab Media and The Jim Henson Company Join Forces to Launch the Australian Feature Production of the Highly Anticipated Power of the Dark Crystal. The Jim Henson Company. May 4, 2010. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "5.4.10-PressRelease" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ "Dark sequel crystalizes. Odell, Duffy penned script; no helmer attached", Adam Dawtrey, Variety. May 13, 2005.
- ↑ "Henson taps Dark lord; Helmer becomes Crystal clear", Variety, Michael Fleming. January 31, 2006.
- ↑ "The Jim Henson Presentation at Comic-Con!", Comingsoon.net, Scott Chitwood. July 22, 2006.
- ↑ "Power of the Dark Crystal makes Cinefantastique's cover", July 20, 2006.
- ↑ "Dark Crystal Sequel Gives Jim Henson's Puppet Epic a Second Chance", MTV.com, Larry Carroll. October 4, 2006.
- ↑ "Henson Podcasts Shares Comic-Con Q&A", The Muppet Newsflash, Greg James. September 10, 2007. The quote is taken from The Jim Henson Company Podcast episode 14. September 10, 2007.
- ↑ Full Circle Stuff: A Conversation with Cory Edwards
- ↑ The Jim Henson Company Podcast, episode 22. January 14, 2008.
- ↑ "Dark Crystal Sequel Update", The Muppet Newsflash, Greg James. February 4, 2009.
- ↑ Dalton, Trent. Dark Crystal sequel directors Peter and Michael Spierig keep it real with Muppets. The Courier-Mail. November 18, 2010.
- ↑ Lisa Henson: Keep the Puppets, Engage the Girls December 23, 2010
- ↑ If Magazine "The Dark Crystal sequel, The Power of the Dark Crystal, on hiatus" by Brendan Swift, 2/8/12
- ↑ Eric Larnick, "Five Things We Learned From Genndy Tartakovsky About Popeye, Samurai Jack & The Future of Animation", Comics Alliance, 1 October 2012.