Jim Henson‘s The Dark Crystal is getting a prequel via Netflix, but it isn’t his only project that is finding a new life. Henson’s dark fantasy anthology series “The Storyteller” is also on the books to get a modern reimagining. Fremantle has teamed up with The Jim Henson Company and brilliant writer, actor, director, producer Neil Gaiman (“American Gods”) for a new version, Deadline reports.
“The Storyteller” which premiered back in 1987, retold European folk tales with a combination of actors and puppets. “In the new incarnation, written and executive produced by Gaiman, The Storyteller will create a mystical world combining various fairy tales and folklore.”
Part of what fascinates me about The Storyteller is the stuff that we don’t know,” said Gaiman. “Who was the Storyteller, why was he telling these stories, was he a goblin, what kind of creature? What I’d love to do is an inside story that’s as long as the outside story. We’re going to find out a lot about who the storyteller is, we’re going to find out things we don’t even know that we don’t know. We’re going to begin in a Northern kingdom where stories are forbidden and where the act of telling a story is liable and can get you imprisoned or executed. If you put a storyteller into that situation, things would need to start getting interactive.” Gaiman continued. “The original Storyteller was a brilliantly written, directed and told set of stories. It’s a terrifying and inspiring task to reinvent what Jim Henson did for the golden age of television we are in right now, and I’m honored that The Jim Henson Company would entrust me with the task of bringing back the storyteller and his magical stories, and sending him out into the world for a whole new round of tales.”
“The Storyteller” will be produced by Fremantle in association with The Jim Henson Company. Lisa Henson is serving as executive producer with Blanca Lista as co-executive producer. Gaiman will be writing the series as well as executive producing.
Check out the episode of “The Storyteller” below, titled “The Soldier and Death.”
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