Netflix has revealed the all-star voice cast for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a prequel series to Jim Henson’s beloved 1982 fantasy film. The new series will once again utilize a fully puppet cast, and no CGI or human characters.
Kingsman star Taron Egerton, The Witch actress Anya Taylor Joy, and Game of Thrones’ Nathalie Emmanuel lead the cast as the three Gelfling heroes, Rian, Brea, and Deet, respectively.
They’re not the only major names to lend their voices to the new series – other Gelfling characters will be played by Caitriona Balfe (Outlander), Helena Bonham-Carter (The King’s Speech), Harris Dickinson (Maleficent 2), Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones), Eddie Izzard (Ocean’s Thirteen), Theo James (The Divergent Series), Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Shazad Latif (Star Trek: Discovery), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Cloverfield Paradox), Mark Strong (Kingsman) and Alicia Vikander (Tomb Raider).
The villainous Skeksis & Mystics are voiced by Mark Hamill (Knightfall, Star Wars), Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song), Ralph Ineson (Game of Thrones), Jason Isaacs (the Harry Potter films), Keegan-Michael Key (Key and Peele), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (True Detective), Simon Pegg (Mission: Impossible), and Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine). The returning character of Aughra, the ancient wise-woman of the film, will be played by Donna Kimball (The Happytime Murders).
Check out the first photos from Age of Resistance below:
Per Netflix, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance tells a new epic story, set many years before the events of the movie, and realized using classic puppetry with cutting edge visual effects. The world of Thra is dying. The Crystal of Truth is at the heart of Thra, a source of untold power. But it is damaged, corrupted by the evil Skeksis, and a sickness spreads across the land. When three Gelfling uncover the horrific truth behind the power of the Skeksis, an adventure unfolds as the fires of rebellion are lit and an epic battle for the planet begins.”
“To match the stunning visual world of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, we knew we had to entice some incredible voice talent to add dimension to the exquisite artistry of the puppeteers who bring the characters to life,” said Cindy Holland, VP of Original Series for Netflix. “I am proud to say that this may be one of the finest casts assembled from the world’s favorite TV shows and movies, and I am now even more excited for fans to come back to Thra with us, and for new viewers to discover this world for the very first time.”
Added Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company, “It is humbling to see so many truly gifted actors join The Dark Crystal universe by adding their voices to Age of Resistance. As with the original film, we are now adding a voice cast of the highest caliber that will provide textures and range to the puppetry performances that are the heart of the series. It is thrilling to see this assembled team of artists, puppeteers and now voice actors, many inspired by my father’s original film, work together to realize this unique world – through performance and craft – at a scale that is rarely seen today.”
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will premiere on Netflix in 2019. For more, check out why the series will have no CGI characters, only puppets, and is being compared to Game of Thrones and Avatar: The Last Airbender.