As if the wait wasn’t already too long, Netflix has released the first full trailer for “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” and unsurprising for fans of Jim Henson’s 1982 cult classic, it’s filled with some incredible scenes — and equally incredible puppetry.
Watch the trailer above.
Set many years before the events of the original film, “Age of Resistance” tells the story of how the damaged world of Thra came to be. You can see plenty of that in the trailer, which shows how the Skeksis, previously seen as the benign leaders of Thra, are now pushing the planet into “the darkening” due to their overuse of the energy contained in The Crystal of Truth — that’s the one that goes dark. We also see how the Gelflings unite to oppose them, with plenty of gorgeous scenery and thrills galore in the meantime.
Of course, those who’ve seen “The Dark Crystal” know that eventually the Skeksis will kill all but two of the Gelflings and nearly destroy the world of Thra itself in their insane quest to cheat death and aging. But given how the film sees Thra finally healed, and the Gelflings brought back from the brink of extinction, we expect the Netflix series to end with a glimmer of hope rather than the outright horror of an alien genocide.
Directed by Louis Leterrier and executive produced by Lisa Henson, “Age of Resistance” was written by Jeff Addiss, Will Matthews and Javier Grillo Marxuach. It stars Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nathalie Emmanuel and Donna Kimball, joined by Mark Hamill, Siguorney Weaver, Lena Headey, Benedict Wong, Awkwafina, Hannah John-Kamen, and original “Dark Crystal” star Dave Goelz.
The film also features Caitriona Balfe, Helena Bonham Carter, Harris Dickinson, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Izzard, Theo James, Toby Jones, Shazad Latif, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mark Strong, Alicia Vikander, Harvey Fierstein, Ralph Ineson, Jason Isaacs, Keegan-Michael Key, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg, Alice Dinnean, Louise Gold, Neil Sterenberg and Victor Yerrid.
“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” will launch Aug. 30 on Netflix.