We have known for awhile that Netflix would be bringing a prequel series to the 80’s cult classic, The Dark Crystal.  Today TVWeb.com released not only the first pictures of the new series, but the complete voice cast as well. Dear god is it a cast!

Apparently, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will feature three main gelflings and they are Kingsman star Taron Egerton as Rian, Split and The Witch‘s Anya Taylor-Joy as Brea, and Game of Thrones and Furious 7 star Nathalie Emmanuel as Deet.  Donna Kimball will be voicing Aughra, and not to be buried under those names is also the greatest voice role actors for a cartoon – The Joker himself, MARK HAMILL!  Here is the rest of the cast as listed:

Gelfling Characters

  •  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 (Divergent)
  •  Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
  •  Shazad Latif (Star Trek: Discovery)
  •  Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Cloverfield Paradox)
  •  Mark Strong (Kingsman)
  •  Alicia Vikander (Tomb Raider)

The Skesis & Mystics

  •  Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song)
  •  Mark Hamill (Star Wars)
  •  Ralph Ineson (Game of Thrones)
  •  Jason Isaacs (The OA)
  •  Keegan-Michael Key (Key and Peele)
  •  Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (True Detective)
  •  Simon Pegg (Mission: Impossible – Fallout)
  •  Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine Nine)


That is no small list of A-grade talent!  Cindy Holland, VP of Original Series at Netflix, talked about why they went after such big names for this series.  She said this:

“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. I am proud to say that this may be one of the finest casts assembled from the world’s favourite 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.”

TVWeb.com

The Dark Crystal is one of those 80’s films that bombed horribly back then, but over time has grown into one of the great all time classics.  Its puppetry was beyond anything at the time and beyond anything the late Jim Henson had ever tried before.  It was a far cry from Sesame Street.  Much of today’s world knows little of this cult classic, but when casting names like this are thrown around, it will peak interest quickly.  Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company added this about the casting:

“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.”

TVWeb.com

Age of Resistance will be set some distance before the original Dark Crystal.  Season 1 has been announced as 10 episodes and sounds to be the start of the war between the Skeksis and the Gelflings.  We know that it will arrive some time next year in 2019, but we do not have an exact release date of yet.  Here are the first pictures released of the new show!  The designs look dead on and richly detailed, like the original film.  Can’t wait!