Netflix Cancels Emmy-Winning The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

The day after the acclaimed series brought home the Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program, Netflix has chosen not to renew the prequel series to Jim Henson’s cult classic film The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, according to io9.

“We can confirm that there will not be an additional season of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. We know fans are eager to learn how this chapter of The Dark Crystal saga concludes and we’ll look for ways to tell that story in the future,” Jim Henson Company CEO and executive producer Lisa Henson said in a statement. “Our company has a legacy of creating rich and complex worlds that require technical innovation, artistic excellence, and masterful storytelling. Our history also includes productions that are enduring, often finding and growing their audience over time and proving again and again that fantasy and science fiction genres reflect eternal messages and truths that are always relevant. We are so grateful to Netflix for trusting us to realize this ambitious series; we are deeply proud of our work on Age of Resistance, and the acclaim it has received from fans, critics and our peers, most recently receiving an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program.”

Age of Resistance takes place before the events in 1982’s The Dark Crystal, and tells a new epic story, set many years before the movie, and realized using classic puppetry with cutting-edge visual effects. 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.

“We are grateful to the master artists at the Jim Henson Company for bringing The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance to life for fans around the world,” Netflix said in a statement. “We’re thankful to the executive producers Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford, and Louis Leterrier, who also directed all episodes, as well as the writers, cast and crew for their outstanding work and thrilled they were recognized with the Emmy this weekend.”

The voice cast will be led by Taron Egerton (Kingsman), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Glass), and Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones), as three Gelfling heroes Rian, Brea and Deet, respectively. Other voice actors slated to lend their voices include Harvey Fierstein, Mark Hamill, Ralph Ineson, Jason Isaacs, Keegan-Michael Key, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg, Caitriona Balfe, Helena Bonham Carter, Harris Dickinson, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Izzard, Lena Headey, Benedict Wong, Awkwafina, Sigourney Weaver, Hannah John-Kamen, Dave Goetz, Theo James, Toby Jones, Shazad Latif, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mark Strong, Alicia Vikander, and Donna Kimball. The show’s executive producers are Leterrier, Halle Stanford, and Jim Henson’s daughter, Lisa Henson.

Feature film director Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me, The Incredible Hulk) will executive produce the series as well as direct. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will be a Netflix original series produced by The Jim Henson Company and executive produced by Letterier, Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford. Longtime Henson collaborator Rita Peruggi will serve as producer and Henson’s Blanca Lista will serve as a co-executive producer. Leading the writing are co-executive producers Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (Life in a Year), and Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost, The 100).

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is available to stream on Netflix now.