Sequel to Cult Classic Labyrinth in the Works

A sequel to the 1986 cult classic Labyrinth, the Jim Henson-directed fantasy film that starred David Bowieas the Goblin King, is in the works. TriStar has inked a deal with the Jim Henson Company to produce a new version of the film, with Guardians of the Galaxy co-writer Nicole Perlman charged with penning the new Labyrinth script, The Hollywood Reporter writes.

Entertainment Weekly adds that the upcoming Labyrinth film will be a sequel of sorts to the original and not a direct remake. Talk of a new Labyrinth film first surfaced in 2014, but the Jim Henson Company eventually quashed those rumors, saying they were working on a big screen Fraggle Rock and a sequel to The Dark Crystal instead.

The original Labyrinth was directed by Henson, penned by Monty Python vet Terry Jones and produced by George Lucas. Although the film was a critical and commercial disappointment during its initial theatrical run, it developed a cult following thanks in large part to Bowie, who portrays Jareth the Goblin King in the story about a young girl (played by Jennifer Connelly) who descends into the mystical labyrinth in order to save her baby brother.

Bowie, who was actively pursued by Henson to take on the role, also contributed five new songs for Labyrinth, four of which he performed: Within You, Underground, As the World Falls Down and Magic Dance.

In other Labyrinth news, Toby Froud, the child actor who played the baby that was abducted by the Goblin King in the film, paid tribute to his late co-star Bowie withhis own rendition of the Magic Dance.