Dark Crystal Sequel Directors Speak

Horror directors the Spierig Brothers reveal why they’ve taken on the Henson sequel

“We had been talking to Henson for quite a while and went in talking about different projects,” says Peter Spierig. “They showed us some concept material for Dark Crystal and we absolutely flipped for it. It's been such a big part of our childhood. They basically asked us if we were interested and we were like, are you kidding? It’s going to be our lives for a few years, maybe longer.”

Michael Spierig goes on to explain why the film isn’t such a drastic departure for them, really. No, bear with him: “We wouldn’t attach ourselves to the material if it didn’t connect to our sensibilities,” he says. “To be honest, the first film is, when I was young, pretty scary stuff. This will certainly have scary elements to it. It’s not a horror film by any means, it’s just got a really solid mythology and solid idea. There are so many great characters. Great new characters and some of the favorites from the previous film will return. It’s not a remake. It’s a continuing story and we use the world of the first film to go further.”

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.