Watch the Making of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance: 'Everything Is Hand-Sculpted'
With just one month to go until the premiere of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Netflix is giving fans a rare behind-the-scenes look at the making of the highly anticipated series.
Mark Hamill and Taron Egerton surprised fans with an up-close-and-personal look at how the world of Thra was created during a 2019 Comic-Con panel on Friday.
“The amount of craft that goes into the making of the puppets, the artistry that goes into those creatures, and then the guys who operate them,” said Egerton, 29, during the panel. “We arrive and it’s there. It’s inspiring in itself, the work that everyone else has done kind of feeds your performance.”
In the clip, the artists behind the creatures explain how the puppets are brought to life on screen.
“Everything is hand-sculpted, hand-painted,” explained executive producer Lisa Henson. “Just an amazing amount of craftsmanship that you see across the whole image.”
RELATED: See the A-list Cast for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance — and the Puppets They’re Playing
Based on the 1982 film from Jim Henson, the series returns to the world of Thra as three Gelflings discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis’ power and set out on an adventure to save their world. The 10-episode series takes place “many years” before the events of the cult classic film.
“The first thing you’re trying to do is live up to what the film produced,” said production designer Gavin Bocquet. “The next stage is then to push it a lot futher.”
And while the characters are controlled by puppeteers, the masterminds had one goal in mind: “The idea here is you watch the show, and you forget you’re watching puppets,” said director Louis Leterrier.
RELATED: Watch the Stunning First Trailer for Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
Egerton takes on the role of Rain, while Anya Taylor Joy voices Brea and Game of Thrones alumna Nathalie Emmanuel plays Deet.
Hamill, Keegan-Michael Key, Alicia Vikander, Natalie Dormer, Andy Samberg, Outlander‘s Caitriona Balfe and more round out the rest of the cast.
And Aughra will be voiced by Donna Kimball.
“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will combine the art of puppetry perfected by The Jim Henson Company, with Louis’ vision, powerful storytelling and a mix of cutting-edge digital imagery and visual effects,” Cindy Holland, vice president of original content at Netflix, previously said in a statement. “I can’t wait for families around the world to see how we bring these unique characters to life.”
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is set to hit Netflix on Aug. 30.
