With Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Netflix truly outdid itself. They created an expanded fantasy world that was both true to the original movie and its own unique creation. The larger world they made allowed them to create a larger narrative that was able to satisfy both fans of the 80s movie and neophytes with no previous exposure. Now that they’ve shown they can do it, we have a few suggestions for their next project(s).
Note: This list excludes movies that have newly announced sequels or series (sorry, Willow) and those that have previously had series, no matter how bad (sorry, Beastmaster)
Legend
An 80s high fantasy from the mind of Ridley Scott, the director of Alien and Blade Runner, Legend has not stood well the test of time. With the directorial power of Scott and the star power of Tom Cruise (fresh from Risky Business and The Outsiders, but pre-Top Gun) and Tim Curry (whose previous claim-to-fame was The Rocky Horror Picture Show), this movie should have been better.
Still, there’s a lot of room for Netflix to build a world around the core of this film, so long as they can cast someone with Curry’s panache to play Darkness (AKA the Devil). Netflix has already demonstrated their expertise with practical effects and would do right by the outstanding makeup for Darkness, while others might turn him into a CGI mess.
Krull
So this is a hot mess of a movie. It has a very similar plot to Legend: the evil monster kidnaps fair maiden and wants to make her his bride. The hero has to quest to save her. Oh, and there’s the epic magical weapon called the glaive, which was a five-bladed boomerang-like weapon that confused every kid playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons at the time.
But the thing that Krull does right and that Netflix could capitalize on is the creation of a truly lived-in fantasy world. Everywhere the film goes there’s history, and so much of it would make for great episodes. Show us how the Kraken tricked the cyclops into giving up their eye. Give us the story of the Widow on the Web. Let us see the prophecy of the Emerald Seer. So much potential!
Labyrinth
Labyrinth seems the logical follow-up to The Dark Crystal, and many fans are probably disappointed this isn’t higher on the list. While admittedly there are a lot of great set-pieces in the movie that could be expanded (the Goblin City, the Junk Lady, etc.), there’s also the problem that the setting is both isolated and timeless, neither of which are great for making prequel/sequel series.
Plus, there’s that niggling Labyrinth 2 project out there that’s in the works. However, if they can’t make a new big-screen film, maybe they should give this project to Netflix.
Dragonslayer
Dragonslayer is a movie far better than it has any right to be, and has been consistently punished for it. Among the slew of action-adventure flicks with a pasted-on theme, this is a story with true depth masquerading as a simple adventure story. Come for the amazing effects that combine full-size dragon models and go-motion animation, but stay for the in-depth portrayal of a society in transition and the hard choices that demands of its people.
Seriously, the dragon, Vermithrax pejorative, is the best dragon on film (Guillermo del Toro and George R. R. Martin agree!) and the movie alludes to a time when they dotted the sky. Even a basic Dragon-of-the-Week series would make people binge so hard, it would be like Netflix printing its own money!
The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron is a much-maligned stew from Disney’s awkward period between its first burst of creativity and its revival with The Little Mermaid. But like many a not-so-tasty stew, there are still a lot of good bits to pick out of it.
It’s got a solid literary source, The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, and this gives the potential for all kinds of places to go with the series. There’s a dark villain who’s certainly one of the best since Sauron, and opportunities for humor, romance, and more. It’s a huge world to play with. While the news was that Disney had obtained the rights to do more with the series, there hasn’t been much activity, so maybe this might get turned over to Netflix for a The Dragon Prince workover.
The Last Unicorn
Since we’ve already brought up Netflix animation, here’s another great candidate for them. The Last Unicorn is the culmination of the Rankin-Bass animation studio’s art. While this might not be everyone’s cup of mead, it works for this lush story. The gorgeous animation keeps the story from slipping into a fully somber territory, and many of the creations are truly iconic (and terrifying), such as the Red Bull or the harpy Celaeno.
It would be easy to set a series either before the movie, showing how King Haggard came to choose such a desolate, lonely life and to collect unicorns. Or for a brighter tone, the series could show the world-changing as the unicorns re-entered the world. Or potentially both.
Red Sonja
While it would have been great to put Conan the Barbarian on this list, there have been several TV series adapted from the same source material. Not technically adapted from the film, but why quibble when there’s still Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword.
Red Sonja is sort of inspired by the Robert E. Howard character Red Sonya of Rogatino, but her comics incarnation is what gave rise to the film, and that’s what we would be expecting to see (though the bikini armor is debatable). There’s so much great source material, include Gail Simone’s outstanding 2013 reboot. And maybe it wouldn’t be too much to ask for a few Conan crossovers.
Clash of the Titans
After creating some of the most iconic epic fantasies of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, it was great to see Ray Harryhausen make it to the boom of the 80s with his final film Clash of the Titans. This choosy retelling of the Perseus myth has a lot more heart than the 2010 CGI auctioneer, though its pacing is a bit on the slow side.
Still, it would give Netflix free rein over all of Greek mythology. It could use the framing of the playwright (with potential help from the beloved Bubo) to tie it together and keep it true to the source. A suitable substitute for Burgess Meredith would have to be found, but they could think of someone.
Time Bandits
Time Bandits is one of those uneven romps of a movie that Terry Gilliam was wont to make. It’s got a great, fun premise, a selection of uproarious characters, and, unfortunately, a plot that goes hither and yon and gets nowhere that makes much sense at all. Still: the premise, the characters! Above all, the freedom that this premise gives. As a simple start, it could be turned into a kind of Quantum Leap, but with banditry instead of do-goodery.
Or for something more philosophical, it could be a more madcap version of The Good Place. It would require perfect casting for the Supreme Being and Evil, though, and that would take some thought. Of course, there’s the announced series helmed by Taika Waititi, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing, either.
My Neighbor Totoro
When it comes to fantasy properties that have created a lasting cultural impact, perhaps none have had so much of an impact as Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. This delightful fantasy has charmed viewers of all ages with its mix of heart, wonder, and adventure. And, remarkably, there’s been almost no follow-up on the story, except for a 13-minute short called “Mei and the Kittenbus.”
This alone gives filmmakers an entire set of jumping-off points that could fill out the entire series. The biggest challenge would be making a series that would thrill all audiences the way the original movie did.
