New Henson on the Horizon

It’s been about 8 years, according to my quick browse through the interweb, since the Jim Henson Company has ventured a submission to the mass in the form of a feature film. And let’s face it, Muppets From Space wasn’t the biggest success for the company. Fortunately, there’s never really been a shortage of work for the house that Jim built and the future is looking bright. The Jim Henson Company announced yesterday that they have green-lighted three new fantasy feature films.

No mention of Dark Crystal or Labyrinth sequels/prequels, but the new features have quite a bit of promise by falling away from the franchise characters and bringing modern fantasy stories to life.

Brian Henson himself will helm the first called “The Boggart”, the story of a Toronto family who inherits a Scottish castle and it’s current, unwanted residents. Harry Potter fans might recognize the Boggart creature as a mischevious spirit that takes the form of a person’s biggest fears. The Boggart is an English household spirit from folklore blamed for all the things that go bump in the night (i.e. Boogey Man).

“The Doubtful Guest” by Edward Gorey has been popular around the world for 50 years, extolling the accolades of an inexplicable creature that shows up unannounced and unwelcome at a quaint family bed & breakfast. Brad Peyton, a relative unknown director, is attached and Matthew Huffman (also a relative newcomer) is writing the screenplay.

Finally, “Monster Blood Tattoo” is adapted from three books by D.M. Cornish that follows the adventures of an orphan who yearns to become apprenticed to a renowned line of monster bounty hunters.

All three films have immense story and effects potential using a blend of CGI and the animatronics wizardry the company has become the benchmark for.