Unleash the goblins!
After decades of waiting, cult favourite Labyrinth is getting a sequel Ñ but why now?
THROUGH DANGERS UNTOLD, and hardships unnumbered, it has fought its way here… 34 years after the original was released — and six years after a follow-up was first officially mooted — the promised sequel to Jim Henson’s beloved, bizarre cult fantasy Labyrinth
appears to have finally found its way out of the development-hell maze. With Doctor Strange’s Scott Derrickson replacing Fede álvarez (Don’t Breathe)
as director, and a fresh script by Maggie Levin (writer-director of Miss 2059),
the Magic Dance is back on.
Of course, there are reasons to be cautious. The ’86 original’s core creative team are sadly no longer with us: Henson, with his vision and puppetry genius; Terry Jones, whose script was witty, edgy and boldly surreal; and David Bowie, who wrote the songs, played baby-snatching Goblin King Jareth, and distracted us all with that
massive bulge.
But there’s good cause for optimism, not least the resounding success of last year’s epic Dark
Crystal: Age Of Resistance.
Wisely avoiding full-on CGI, the Henson Companyproduced Netflix series proved that practical puppetry can feel just as impressive, beautiful and emotionally engaging to 21st-century viewers as it did in the mid-’80s (even more so with a subtle touch of digital augmentation). The wealth of talent is still there, and we can be sure every ounce of it will be spent on a new Labyrinth, not to mention the possible welcome return of Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus. Plus, both Derrickson and Levin have a knack for horror (Levin wrote the ‘My Valentine’ episode of Hulu’s Into The Dark), so we can expect an even darker fairy-tale tinge than in the original. And there’s so much potential storywise, whether we’re re-entering the circuitous subconscious of an adult Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), experiencing an all-new maze in the fevered mind of one of her offspring, or unleashing fresh goblins from the imaginations of entirely new characters.
The biggest question, though, is who could possibly fill Bowie’s codpiece — sorry, shoes — as the new Jareth? Connelly herself would be an interestingly twisted choice, while there’s an undeniable appeal to any of the other fan suggestions offered thus far: Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Janelle Monáe, Jemaine Clement. We’d add Linmanuel Miranda to that heady mix: he’s got the charm, he’s got the tunes, but most of all he could definitely rock those tights.