Netflix has revealed the full voice cast and list of characters for its prequel series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans, Now You See Me), Age of Resistance takes place well before the events of Jim Henson and Frank Oz's cult 1982 feature, The Dark Crystal, at a time when a sickness caused by the Skeksis and the corrupted Crystal of Truth is spreading across the fantasy setting of Thra. Upon learning what's happening, a trio of Gelfling heroes set out on an adventure to start a rebellion against the Skeksis and save their planet.
While Netflix announced its plans for a Dark Crystal prequel series just over two years ago (in May 2017, to be exact), the sheer amount of time and effort required to bring the show's world to life via practical effects and puppets (a la the original movie) meant that the company had to wait a while before it would have any finished material to market. They were finally able to begin their promotional run last December, and only just released an Age of Resistance trailer online a month ago. Now, however, Netflix has pulled the curtain even further back on the project.
Today, the company revealed the full voice cast for Age of Resistance, including six actors who had not been previously announced. Among the new additions are Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) and Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as the Gelflings Maudra Fara and Naia; Benedict Wong (Avengers: Endgame) and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) as the Skeksis The General and The Collector; Dave Goelz (The Dark Crystal) as Baffi, a Fizzgig; and Sigourney Weaver as The Myth-Speaker, a voice-only character. You can check out photos of their characters in the gallery below, along with the brand-new images that reveal exactly who the previously-announced cast members are voicing (e.g. Gelflings, Skeksis, Mystics, or, well, whatever Aughra actually is).
Interestingly, a number of the Gelflings have facial characteristics that either coincidentally resemble those of their voice actors or, perhaps more likely, were modeled directly after them. It also seems that Age of Resistance will carryover the world-building in The Dark Crystal comic books and YA novels that've been released over the years and portray Gelfling society as being a matriarchal culture. That's encouraging to see and suggests that the series (which spans ten hour-long episodes) will offer meaty roles for its male and female heroes alike. That may also make it easier for fans who know going in that, because of the status quo in The Dark Crystal movie, there's a decent chance that Age of Resistance's protagonists will end up meeting a tragic fate.
Age of Resistance's Skeksis and Mystics have been equally well cast, by the look of things. Actors like Simon Pegg, Keegan Michael-Key, and Star Wars' Mark Hamill are all portraying Skeksis (with Pegg specifically lending his voice to the infamous Chamberlain from The Dark Crystal movie), and seem like perfect fits for the creepy-looking, yet also somewhat comical villains here. The actual craftsmanship of the various puppets in these photos is equally terrific, and indicates that the series at large will look just as amazing as the previous trailer footage did. Hopefully, the show's actual storyline will be similarly up to snuff, too.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance begins streaming Friday, August 30 on Netflix.
Source: Netflix