The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus is creating a new fantasy TV series with the Jim Henson Company.
According to Variety, the live-action fantasy show is in early development, while Norman Reedus teams up with Brian and Wendy Froud to create the show’s creatures.
“Norman Reedus, the Frouds, and the Jim Henson Company coming together to create a show is the mashup of my dreams,” said Halle Stanford, president of TV at The Jim Henson Company.
The show will reportedly feature an entirely new universe of creatures created by the Frouds, who previously worked on The Dark Crystal movie and TV show, as well as Labyrinth.
“Norman is an artist, and when I suggested to him, what if we create a series with the Frouds together that explores his love of magical creatures, he was so excited.”
Expected to be a primetime adventure series, unfortunately, little else is known about the project at this time – including its name. But it feels like one to get excited about.
“They are masters in the fantasy world-building space,” said Reedus, talking about the Frouds. “I mean, a show about goblins, trolls, and otherworldly creatures? There’s nobody in the universe better suited for that than the Henson Company.”
Whether or not the show will feature goblins or trolls remains to be seen. And it’s just as likely that these mythical creatures will provide the basis for entirely new monsters.
Although Netflix cancelled The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance after just one season, it looks as though the Jim Henson Company is still keen to explore that world.
“We are nimble, we are resilient. We are ready to jump,” said Stanford. “The minute anyone would like to jump back into [The Dark Crystal], it is a world that we will continue to build on and think about.”
However, it’s thought that this new project will be something else entirely.
“It is an urban fantasy,” said Stanford. “It will be a magical world. But I feel like Norman is going to help us bring the ‘punk’ back in ‘hope punk.’ I also think that people kind of like that punk in Henson’s legacy. The Muppets were the underdogs, our Goblin King with David Bowie was so cool…”
“When you say ‘Jim Henson,’ it invokes something in people,” she added. “So, I’m hoping those that felt inspired by him, like Norman Reedus, will look to us as a new home to create these types of stories that are transformative and entertaining, and having something to say, but also wanting to kind of push the medium of television.”
Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance was even darker than the original movie, and while they originally planned beyond the first season, the show was ultimately cancelled long before it got there.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Continue reading...
According to Variety, the live-action fantasy show is in early development, while Norman Reedus teams up with Brian and Wendy Froud to create the show’s creatures.
“Norman Reedus, the Frouds, and the Jim Henson Company coming together to create a show is the mashup of my dreams,” said Halle Stanford, president of TV at The Jim Henson Company.
The show will reportedly feature an entirely new universe of creatures created by the Frouds, who previously worked on The Dark Crystal movie and TV show, as well as Labyrinth.
“Norman is an artist, and when I suggested to him, what if we create a series with the Frouds together that explores his love of magical creatures, he was so excited.”
Expected to be a primetime adventure series, unfortunately, little else is known about the project at this time – including its name. But it feels like one to get excited about.
“They are masters in the fantasy world-building space,” said Reedus, talking about the Frouds. “I mean, a show about goblins, trolls, and otherworldly creatures? There’s nobody in the universe better suited for that than the Henson Company.”
Whether or not the show will feature goblins or trolls remains to be seen. And it’s just as likely that these mythical creatures will provide the basis for entirely new monsters.
Although Netflix cancelled The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance after just one season, it looks as though the Jim Henson Company is still keen to explore that world.
“We are nimble, we are resilient. We are ready to jump,” said Stanford. “The minute anyone would like to jump back into [The Dark Crystal], it is a world that we will continue to build on and think about.”
However, it’s thought that this new project will be something else entirely.
“It is an urban fantasy,” said Stanford. “It will be a magical world. But I feel like Norman is going to help us bring the ‘punk’ back in ‘hope punk.’ I also think that people kind of like that punk in Henson’s legacy. The Muppets were the underdogs, our Goblin King with David Bowie was so cool…”
“When you say ‘Jim Henson,’ it invokes something in people,” she added. “So, I’m hoping those that felt inspired by him, like Norman Reedus, will look to us as a new home to create these types of stories that are transformative and entertaining, and having something to say, but also wanting to kind of push the medium of television.”
Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance was even darker than the original movie, and while they originally planned beyond the first season, the show was ultimately cancelled long before it got there.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Continue reading...