Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nathalie Emmanuel are set to lead the voice cast for “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” the 10-episode animated fantasy series that’s a prequel to Jim Henson’s 1982 fantasy film.
Egerton, Taylor-Joy and Emmanuel will play the three Gelfing heroes, Rian, Brea and Deet. Netflix additionally announced Monday the cast voicing of other puppet characters in a staggering list that includes: 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, Mark Hamill, Ralph Ineson, Jason Isaacs, Keegan-Michael Jey, ?”lafur Darri ?”lafsson, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg and Donna Kimball.
Additional characters will also be voiced by puppeteers from the production, including Alice Dinnean, Louise Gold, Neil Sterenberg and Victor Yerrid, with more to be announced soon.
Based on “The Dark Crystal,” the series “Age of Resistance” is set many years before the events of the movie but still utilizes classic puppetry techniques along with the Jim Henson Company.
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.
“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,” Lisa Henson, CEO of the Jim Henson Company said in a statement.
“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,” she added.
“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” will launch on Netflix in 2019. Watch a teaser announcement for the series here, and see the first look images below:
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
From 'Happytime Murders' to 'Team America': 12 Times Puppets Behaved Badly on Film, TV and the Stage (Photos)
The upcoming Melissa McCarthy film "The Happytime Murders" made headlines last month due to its legal skirmish with Sesame Workshop over its raunchy trailer. But the film is far from the first time that puppets have danced over the boundary of good taste. Read on for more examples of puppets behaving badly.
"The Happytime Murders": After the trailer for this Brian Henson-directed crime comedy was released, Sesame Workshop -- the people behind "Sesame Street" -- filed a lawsuit, contending that the trailer, which bore the tagline "No Sesame. All Street" and features, among other things, "ejaculating puppets," tarnishes the Sesame brand. The suit quickly came to a climax, with a judge siding with STX.
"Team America: World Police": When the puppets in this 2004 Trey Parker/Matt Stone offering weren't busy bungling their way to preserving America's freedom, they occupied themselves with graphic sex, projectile vomiting and reflecting on the symbiotic relationship between, vaginas, penises and rectums.
"Avenue Q": This stage offering boasted everything you wouldn't expect from a production centering around puppets: Sex, drinking, surfing the web for porn and a musical not to bigotry in the form of "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist."
"Crank Yankers": This Comedy Central offering famously -- and hilariously -- featured puppets reenacting crank phone calls sometimes veering toward the obscene.
"Let My Puppets Come": Gerard Damiano is probably best known for directing the groundbreaking 1972 porn film "Deep Throat." But he also helmed this 1976 curiosity, about a group of executives who, deep in debt to the mob, turn to making a porn film as their financial salvation.
"Live Freaky! Die Freaky!": This stop-motion animation oddity from 2006 was based on the Manson Family murders, so you can be sure that its puppets were misbehaving. And it had a killer voice cast including the members of Green Day, Kelly Osbourne, Asia Argento and numerous others.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog: This stogie-chewing pooch certainly lives up to his name, bringing a raunchy pizzazz to otherwise serious events with his crude interviewing style.
"This Is Spinal Tap": Jacking the top billing from David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls? Not cool, Puppet Show. Not cool
"Meet the Feebles": Before he tackled the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Peter Jackson gifted the world with this 1989 offering, which guided the genre of puppet-based entertainment into very dark territory.
"Mongrels": Profanity? Check. Incontinence? Check. Cannibalism? Check. The critters in this BBC Three series weren't afraid to take a walk on the wild side.
"Puppetry of the Penis": OK, so this stage show didn't technically involve puppets. But its exploration of origami-like contortions involving male genitalia was decidedly raunchy.
"ALF": Yes, this furry, wise-cracking extraterrestrial won our hearts in the NBC sitcom, which aired from 1986 to 1990. But let's not forget that he tried to eat the Tanner family's cat.
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From sex to violence to profanity to cannibalism, these puppets weren’t playing around
The upcoming Melissa McCarthy film "The Happytime Murders" made headlines last month due to its legal skirmish with Sesame Workshop over its raunchy trailer. But the film is far from the first time that puppets have danced over the boundary of good taste. Read on for more examples of puppets behaving badly.
