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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
 Posted - 10/11/2006 : 02:04:09
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The sequel to The Dark Crystal, directed by Genndy 'Clone Wars' Tartakovsky-a few storyboards and concept art by the wonderful Brian Froud have popped up online:
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1542247/10032006/story.jhtml
10.04.2006 6:00 AM EDT
'Dark Crystal' Sequel Gives Jim Henson's Puppet Epic A Second Chance
'Muppets' creator's 1982 flick was hindered by limitations of technology.
SAN DIEGO — In the late 1970s, with his creative instincts and Hollywood power swelling to their greatest levels up to that point, "Muppets" creator Jim Henson found himself obsessed with the dark, deranged work of English illustrator Brian Froud.
He befriended the children's-book author and recruited longtime collaborator Frank Oz, and together the three spent the next half-decade developing an ambitious, human-free movie that would mix the world of Froud with equal parts "Lord of the Rings" and Kermit the Frog.
The result was 1982's "The Dark Crystal," a fantasy flick that debuted as a commercial and critical failure and has since lived on as a fondly remembered near-classic along the lines of '80s movies such as "Tron" and "The Last Starfighter." Frustrated by the limitations of technology, Henson, who died in 1990, took to discussing two different "Dark" visions in interviews: the film his imagination had longed for and the version hindered by fishing line and awkward action sequences.
Now, like a woodland creature called to action by Gelfling heroine Kira, "The Dark Crystal" is preparing to rise up again. And this time it has technology on its side, along with one of the hottest action directors in all of geekdom.
"I did television shows like 'Dexter's Laboratory,' 'The Powerpuff Girls,' 'Samurai Jack' Jack' and 'Clone Wars,' and then I decided to go into features," said highly stylized Russian director Genndy Tartakovsky, offering a preview of his upcoming film debut, "The Power of the Dark Crystal." "I love the first movie. I saw it [when I was young], and it's resonated with me throughout my life. Through all the jobs I've had, we always referred to it. We would go, 'You remember that scene in "Dark Crystal"? That was great the way that shape was put in,' or something like that. [I'm determined] not just to relive it, but also to honor it."
Such a tribute would be impossible without remembering the man who was a quarter-century ahead of his time. And as the film enters production, it should be quite easy for Tartakovsky to remember Henson daily, since Henson's daughter Lisa is producing.
"Puppetry has come a long way since 'The Dark Crystal,' " said the amicable co-CEO of the Jim Henson Company. "When 'The Dark Crystal' was made, it was the first time that all those techniques were really refined to the degree that they could be put in a feature film. Since then, puppetry has come so far that the puppets we're going to use are going to be much more emotive than the originals. In addition to that, we can augment them with digital effects, but very subtly."
The "Power" script continues the tale of elfin heroes Jen and Kira, last seen returning the shard to the evil crystal and seemingly abolishing the vulture-like Skeksis from their land. Set many years after the first flick, "Power" casts Jen and Kira as king and queen, now overseeing a kingdom whose peace is disturbed by a visit from the underground-dwelling U-mun people. After the Gelflings refuse their request for a shard of crystal that could preserve the U-mun race, a desperate visitor takes it anyway, threatening their world with another thousand years of chaos.
"[David Odell], who wrote this film with his wife, is the original writer of 'The Dark Crystal,' and he had discussed this sequel concept with Jim," Lisa Henson said. "They didn't get too far into it, but [Odell] had a pretty good memory of the basic bones of the sequel idea."
Froud, who has since designed "Labyrinth" (1986) and the recent "Peter Pan" flick while also developing his respected career as an illustrator, has been hard at work sketching new storyboards for the sequel, and he couldn't be happier about his rare second chance.
"When we created the original 'Dark Crystal,' we created a whole world," noted the artist, known for his unique combinations of acrylic, colored pencils, pastels and inks. "It had many levels, and we already invented a lot of things that we never got to see in the movie. Now we have the opportunity to explore."
Tartakovsky was hand-selected by George Lucas to create the "Clone Wars" cartoons for his "Star Wars" universe (see " 'Clone Wars' Animator Tapped To Helm 'Dark Crystal' Sequel"), a series so beloved that many fans consider it to be the prequel Lucas should have made. Now he's ready to once again bring renewed life to a legend's passion project. And after the original flick's clunky Garthim-versus-Landstriders battle and Jen's laugh-out-loud climactic jump onto the crystal, audiences are likely to appreciate the skilled touch of an action director.
"We can have a puppeteer in a blue suit holding the puppets and moving them around, and then we'll just take the puppeteer out," Tartakovsky said, going far beyond the days when Henson had four or five people squatting beneath each puppet. "Now we can put the puppet's feet on the puppeteer and connect their hands, and they can actually move them around."
The "Crouching Tiger"-esque results will then be placed on backgrounds that will replace the "Land of the Lost" look with sets that make you feel like you've fallen into one of Froud's books. "The new technology will take it to another level," the illustrator said. "When Jim Henson came to visit me in England, he loved the landscape, the rocks, the trees all covered in moss, the streams. I want 'Dark Crystal' to feel like that.
"A great friend of mine is Alan Lee, who won an Oscar for his designs for 'Lord of the Rings,' " Froud continued. "People often say, 'Why does "Dark Crystal" look like "The Lord of the Rings"?' And I say, 'Well, both Alan and I live in the same village, in the same English landscape, and as artists we are informed by our own landscapes.' "
Now that audiences have fallen in love with Lee's style — and the computer-generated hobbits, elves and walking trees that came with it — they may finally be ready for a drop-kicking Muppet. Tartakovsky is happy to oblige, working with Froud on updated versions of Jen and Kira, the mystic urSol, one-eyed psychic Aughra, the Skeksis and the Garthim.
"We will definitely have some of the puppeteers do the voices, but coming from animation, I have such respect and adoration for the voice-over community. I want to put that into the mix too," Tartakovsky said. "And maybe some celebrities. Who knows?
"We have a lot of conception design done," Tartakovsky continued. "We'll start pre-production this fall, and then by next fall we will probably have a release."
Jim Henson never lived to see Gollum, but now that skinny CGI creature might finally allow his "Dark Crystal" imaginings to come to life. And if that isn't a convincing enough reason why a second Gelfling tale will work, Tartakovsky offered up a few more. "It's the daughter of the guy who did it, and the guy who designed it," he said. "If I was going with a new designer and a different puppeteer company, I would be a lot more nervous. We are coming from a sincere point of view."
— Larry Carroll
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1176/281x211gy4.jpg[/IMG
Kira in "The Power of the Dark Crystal"
Photo: The Jim Henson Company
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30353
Published on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 - 11:58pm
Dark Crystal 2 storyboards and art hits the web!!! Want To See Now!!!
Hey folks, Harry here... Sometimes - the Harry head animations just happen to work with something I'm reporting on a given day. Today - the new Harry Animation from Cartuna is, of course, a tribute to Jim Henson and The Muppet Show. Well - as it happens - MTV puts out some designs and interviews some folks about the new Dark Crystal movie that Genndy Tartakovsky (CLONE WARS & SAMURAI JACK) is directing. Click Here To Check Out that story! However, I have received some reports that MTV's pics are hard for some systems to see... so check them out below. In the article - it looks like they'll begin shooting around the end of the year - for release next time around this time of the year. I'm sure you'll be excited by some of what is suggested in these storyboards and art...
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Johnny Yen
= Cult of Ray =
USA
408 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 10:48:43
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It would be nice if they didn't use any CGI at all on this, keeping with tradition and whatnot. Nothing beats real life, even if they're crappy models.
I DID like Samurai Jack a lot, so here's hoping. |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 15:33:27
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Carl, are you posting drunk from an internet cafe?
I’m the only one who can say that this light is mine
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Homers_pet_monkey
= Official forum monkey =
United Kingdom
17125 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 20:49:30
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Hee hee, Dark Crystal, hee hee!
 I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
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danjersey
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
2813 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 21:55:48
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| we're not birds we're a jug band |
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Neptune
- FB Fan -
USA
99 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2006 : 05:35:23
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| Wow, great new to wake up to. Love The Dark Crystal. I may be naive, but i never thought the original was cheesy or limited at all. great stuff. mmmmmMMMMMMMmmmmmmm..... |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2006 : 11:28:10
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quote:
Originally posted by kathryn
Carl, are you posting drunk from an internet cafe?
No, but I am hypnotized by the power of the dark crystal!
Actually, seriously, I'm not a big Dark Crystal fan or anything (I did like it, as far as I can remember!) but I do like Brian Froud's illustrations:
http://www.worldoffroud.com/index.html
On a related note....there's actually a-wait for it-Fraggle Rock movie in development!:
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17088
Fraggle Rock Movie in the Works
Source: The Jim Henson Company October 19, 2006
The Jim Henson Company now confirms what millions of internet fans have speculated: the Company is in development on a full-length feature about the Fraggles, stars of the 1980's television show "Fraggle Rock." The announcement was made today by Lisa Henson who serves as co-CEO of The Jim Henson Company with her brother Brian Henson.
The untitled film will for the first time take Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red on an adventure outside of Fraggle Rock where they will interact with the strange beings in "outer space" (also known as humans). The treatment is being written by author Ahmet Zappa (The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless) who will also executive produce the project with Brian Henson and Jason Lust. Lisa Henson will produce.
Lisa Henson said, "'Fraggle Rock' has remained a favorite project at our Company and has certainly continued to be loved by its many devoted fans, so we are thrilled to begin work on this project. With its message of celebrating diversity and its ambitious goal of promoting world peace, now is the perfect time to embark on a new Fraggle adventure."
"I'm very excited to be working with The Jim Henson Company on this project," said Ahmet Zappa. "So much of my childhood was spent watching 'Fraggle Rock' ... I never missed an episode! I'm also really looking forward to using music to tell the story; it played such a central role in the original series and truly helped create the 'Fraggle Rock' that we know and love today."
"Fraggle Rock" premiered on HBO in 1983 and over five seasons garnered multiple awards and a global fan following. The show was created by Jim Henson as an international co-production and was adapted for each territory to meet the needs of its audience. By showing cooperation and conflict resolution among the different inhabitants of the Rock (the Fraggles, the Doozers and the Gorgs), the show taught the concepts of mutual respect and peace. Recently, devoted fans petitioned online for a DVD release of the series. The season one box set exceeded expectations and its incredibly strong consumer response led to the successful season two release.
*bump*
http://filmick.blogspot.com/2007/02/power-of-dark-crystal-canned.html
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Power Of The Dark Crystal Canned
I've been told, and I believe what I was told, that The Power of the Dark Crystal has been canned. Genndy Tartakovsky had been deep in preproduction on the film for a good while - at least two years, I'm told - but now, the film has officially been plaed 'on hiatus'.
Unofficially, however, it looks like the film will never be completed. Any chance of a book a concept art at least? Who knows.
The Henson Company have yet to comment. At least they have three more, very promising sounding, films in the offing (Look to the comments on that entry for the source of this story).
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news07/070205d.php
"Dark Crystal" Sequel Still Glowing?
Posted: Monday February 5th 2007 2:59am
Source: Muppet Central
Author: Garth Franklin
Rumours of the demise of the proposed "Dark Crystal" sequel may have been premature.
A posting on the Muppet Forums indicates the production is moving along as planned for a Spring 2008 release, despite a report last week at filmick to the contrary.
Jim Henson Company's Head of Publicity has apparently said that the goal is to finish post-production by the end of the year, so physical production "should be gearing up real soon".
There's even talk of a debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008.
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Edited by - Carl on 02/08/2007 15:57:10 |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2007 : 16:10:26
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| Regina. hehehhhe |
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The Power Of The Dark Crystal!
