What's the Latest on That Labyrinth Sequel? What We Know So Far
Catch up on what's going on with a potential sequel to Jim Henson's puppet-filled, musical, dark fantasy extravaganza, Labyrinth.
In late May of 2020, word broke that Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone) would direct and executive-produce a sequel to Jim Henson's puppet-filled, musical, dark fantasy extravaganza, Labyrinth (now streaming on Peacock), for Tristar Pictures. Maggie Levin (V/H/S/99) was on board to write the follow-up to the 1986 cult classic produced by George Lucas, which had been in development since the mid-2010s.
Jennifer Connelly, who starred in the original alongside the late, great David Bowie, was asked by Collider for a story published in 2021 if she had any involvement with the project. Given that the film will most likely serve as a legacy sequel, it seems like a no-brainer that Connelly's character, Sarah Williams, is going to be brought back back in some way. Perhaps she'll be passing the torch off to a new generation of maze runners? The real question is how the project will tackle the passing of Bowie, who played Jareth (aka the Goblin King).
At the time of the Collider interview, however, Connelly didn't have much to share. "I’ve had conversations about it," the actress said. "I’m not really sure where that’s gonna land."
Two years later, Derrickson cast serious doubt on the sequel's prospects while in conversation with ComicBook.com, stating: “I don’t know what’s happening with that."
The filmmaker continued: “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. So I think that it’s a tough nut to crack, but all I can tell you is I’m very proud of the work that we did on it. We certainly had a great film in mind."
Lisa Henson, daughter of Jim Henson and CEO of the Jim Henson Company, provided a more optimistic update in early 2024 during an interview with Paste magazine: "We just haven’t been able to get the script right. We’ve had a couple of scripts written, and we’re gonna start over again. We’re gonna start with a new script and a new director so it won’t be anytime soon. In fact, because we’re in that starting over process, I just don’t even want to talk about dates or when it could be because I don’t want to get anybody excited."
What's the latest development on the Labyrinth sequel?
The latest movement on the Labyrinth sequel arrived earlier this year when Robert Eggers (The Northman, Nosferatu), a filmmaker known for his singular visions, became the latest director to attach his name to the film. Eggers is also set to write the script with his Northman collaborator, Sjón. Chris and Eleanor Columbus will produce with Brian and Lisa Henson.
Whether the sequel actually gets made this time will be another story entirely. After all, Eggers won't be able to jump into the surrealist world of the Goblin King until wrapping production on his lupine follow-up to Nosferatu: Werwulf.
“The thing is, I always have a ton of things in development because you need to survive this industry and you don’t know what is going to hit next," he told ComicBook.com shortly after the news broke. "But I definitely want the next film I make to be an original movie.”
Labyrinth is now streaming on Peacock!
