Derrickson right next to Jareth. Coincidence?
The Derrickson himself.

Basics

On May 26, 2020; TriStar Pictures announces that they’ve hired Scott Derrickson to direct the as-of-yet untitled sequel to Labyrinth. Derrickson is best known for directing Doctor Strange (2016), but is also known for directing horror movies like The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) and Sinister (2012). Derrickson was originally going to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: the sequel to the 2016 original. However, he left following unspecified “creative differences”. Hopefully, that creativity will now put to use directing the sequel to one of the greatest cult films in history.

Shame, really. I liked "Doctor Strange".
Well, Disney’s loss, TriStar’s gain.

In other news, TriStar Pictures also hires Maggie Levin to write Labyrinth 2‘s script. Levin is, unfortunately, not as well known as Scott Derrickson. The most I could find on her is that she directed a single episode from Hulu’s Into the Dark TV series called “My Valentine”. Given this focus on hiring people known for horror works though, you can bet that Labyrinth 2 is probably going to be fairly…scary.

Murder suspect forgetting to dispose of weapon. Or even wash the blood off her hands.
I think you forgot to do something after the murder.

Opinion

The original Labyrinth had some fairly surreal and bizarre moments, but I wouldn’t have described it as a horror movie. It will be interesting to see what direction TriStar Pictures and Scott Derrickson are taking with this, but I can only hope that they make a faithful sequel. Labyrinth is a cult classic that spawned a tie-in novel, a comic book adaptation, a 4-volume manga sequel, and even a point-and-click adventure game for a reason. If there’s any story that deserves a faithful continuation, Labyrinth is it.

Labyrinth movie poster.
A story in which the princess does the rescuing, for once.

This is especially true given how the main antagonist, Jareth, survives the events of the movie. In fact, you can see him at the end in owl form. That’s perfect sequel material right there.

Jareth from "Labyrinth" in barn owl mode.
Such an adorable face hiding some so…bizarre.

Fortunately, Lisa and Brian Henson of The Jim Henson are producing Labyrinth 2 as well. Given that 2 of Jim Henson’s kids are helping make this movie, there’s a good chance that this sequel will still be in the spirit of the original.

Conclusion

Labyrinth 2 as a fantasy horror musical movie? I’m in. While TriStar hasn’t given a release date, you can bet that I’ll be eagerly awaiting it.

Source: Deadline