Jim Henson’s Labyrinth from 1986 is a cult classic, filled with all kinds of dazzling visuals and creatures; and while films usually don’t get the greenlight anymore, director Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, The Black Phone) updates us on a Labyrinth project that he currently has under development.
Talking to ComicBook.com, Derrickson explains, “We never got the script all the way to a place where the studio wanted to make it, but I was very proud of the work that we did on it… And it’s a hard, hard project to turn into something commercially viable, because it’s so imaginative and surreal that there’s no way that it can be done cheaply. And at the same time, it’s so daring and different that it is a tough movie for a studio to feel competent that it has enough commercial value to earn a profit.”
With Disney making almost everything they can with the “Volume” it’s possible that a film like Labyrinth would use that kind of technology, but seeing as the original movie was all about practical effects and puppets, it’s very likely fans would also be looking for the same kind of charm with a sequel.
Of course, there is also the question of who is going to be playing the part of Jareth the Goblin King, a role which was originated by the late David Bowie. When asked about any details, Derrickson said:
“Because the project is still in development, I probably shouldn’t say what the plans are because I think we had a really cool idea, but I don’t want to blow that in case the movie does get made.”
With Derrickson’s eye for trippy visuals, I would definitely love to see how he would take on something like Labyrinth, but until they find a commercially successful route, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with the project.
