Brian Henson Says Labyrinth Sequel Is a Project They Are Very Excited About (Exclusive)

In spite of reports that Scott Derrickson's Labyrinth sequel is stalled at the Jim Henson Company, chairman Brian Henson tells ComicBook.com that a follow-up to the beloved fantasy film remains a project that the company is "very excited about." Brian Henson does not seem to know much -- or at least can't say much -- about the Derrickson version in particular. Still, the big takeaway from our question is that if that version is dead, as Derrickson recently seemed to suggest, it doesn't mean the idea of a Labyrinth sequel is gone along with it, just that the potential sequel will likely end up looking different than it does now.

Labyrinth was a box office disappointment when it was released in 1986, but found a life and a dedicated fan base on home video. In the years since, it has become as much a classic as Jim Henson's other movies, including The Muppet Movie and Dark Crystal.

"Well, that's a question you have to ask my sister. My sister Lisa, who's CEO of the Jim Henson Company," Brian Henson, who now serves as chairman, told ComicBook.com of the sequel. "That is a project that we are very excited about, but we can't talk about it."

The comments come as both Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal are being released in Digital 4K for the first time, as releases through Shout Studios. Given that Shout has one of the best boutique DVD and Blu-ray businesses in North America, it seems likely -- but has not yet been confirmed -- that the transfers will get a new physical release as well, presumably with some new features. A 4K version of Labyrinth was released on disc for its 30th anniversary in 2016.

"I don't know what's happening with that," Derrickson told us last fall. "We never got the script all the way to a place where the studio wanted to make it, but I was very proud of the work that we did on it. And it's a hard, hard project to turn into something commercially viable, because it's so imaginative and surreal that there's no way that it can be done cheaply. And at the same time, it's so daring and different that it is a tough movie for a studio to feel competent that it has enough commercial value to earn a profit. So I think that it's a tough nut to crack, but all I can tell you is I'm very proud of the work that we did on it. We certainly had a great film in mind."

Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal are available to purchase or rent digitally now.