Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Director Saved Puppets From Fire

Netflix's Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance was arguably one of the best television series of 2019. A prequel to The Dark Crystal, the Louis Leterrier-directed series gave told the story of how the Skeksis decimated the world of Thra nearly 40 years after Jim Henson first introduced us to it. As it turns out, though, Leterrier didn't just help bring the world of Thra to life on the small screen. He also helped save the puppets that inhabit Thra from being lost in a fire on set.

In an interview with Syfy (via Gizmodo) Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance co-creator Will Matthews and writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach explained that a fire at the Jim Henson Studios nearly destroyed the puppets, but Leterrier not only discovered the fire himself, but created a map that helped firefighters locate the puppets.

"He drew it from memory," Matthews said." These are two football-field-sized warehouses, full of stages. And he's doing all this in a panic moment."

Leterrier did more than just draw a map, though. When firefighters encountered numerous puppets on the sets, the director worked with them to rescue the puppets including the intricate and heavy Skeksis that can way around 200 pounds. In all, over 40 puppets were saved from the fire.

"It was death-defying heroism," Grillo-Marxuach added. "It was like somebody from Backdraft. It was amazing. All of us have an extraordinary veneration of Louis at this point. If he told us to jump in front of a bus, we would do it—because we'd think he would probably be able to stop the bus with his bare hands."

It's an incredible act that is of even greater significance when one realizes that every character in the series truly are puppets, even though the series worked hard to create a world where viewers could lose themselves without thinking about that.

"The idea is you watch the show and you forget you're watching puppets," director and executive producer Louis Leterrier said in a video featurette released at San Diego Comic-Con.

"It was always puppets, thanks to Netflix," Leterrier explained, noting that do to the challenges, "every shot is the most complicated shot of my career."

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is now streaming on Netflix.

What do you think about Leterrier's efforts in saving The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance puppets from a devastating fire? Let us know in the comments below!