For years—if not decades—various movie industry people have tried to get a sequel to Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s The Dark Crystal off the ground, with one would-be director explaining last year that he walked off of the project due to the producers’ apparent lack of respect for Henson’s ideas. That director, Shane Abbess, explained that Henson had composed handwritten notes laying out what a sequel would be about, but nobody other than him actually seemed interested in paying attention to what those notes said.
Now, that sequel is finally happening, but it won’t be a movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boom! Studios has announced a 12-part comic book series called The Power Of The Dark Crystal that will serve as a direct follow-up to the events of the original film. On top of that, the THR story says it’s based on an old screenplay written by original writer David Odell, Annette Odell, and Craig Pearce. Si Spurrier will write the comic, with art from Kelly and Nichole Matthews.
The story will involve Ken and Kira, the film’s protagonists, struggling with the pressures of ruling the world of Thra and losing touch with the common people. This drives someone to try and steal a shard of the eponymous Dark Crystal, which never really works out well. The cover of the first issue was drawn by Jae Lee, and you can see it below.
The first issue of The Power Of The Dark Crystal will be available on February 15, 2017.