Fede Alvarez to write and direct Labyrinth sequel

The director of ‘Evil Dead’ and ‘Don’t Breathe’ is about to remind us of the babe.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez has signed on to direct a follow-up to ‘Labyrinth,’ Jim Henson’s 1986 fantasy classic which starred David Bowie as the sinister Goblin King, who abducts the baby brother of sullen teenager Sarah (Jennifer Connolly), sending her on a quest to solve the mysterious labyrinth in order to get her brother back.

Alvarez will also co-write the film with his frequent collaborator Jay Basu. However, this new project – produced by Lisa Henson, daughter of the late Muppets creator – is reportedly “not a remake nor a reboot but rather a continuation of the story set in the rich Henson universe.” What’s more, Bowie’s pivotal antagonist The Goblin King will not appear – although there’s no mention of whether or not Connolly’s Sarah would appear.

A ‘Labyrinth’ sequel has been spoken of many times over the past three decades. Most recently, reports broke in January 2016 – mere weeks after Bowie’s death – that screenwriter Nicole Perlman (‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ the upcoming ‘Captain Marvel’) had signed on to write the project for Sony’s Tri-Star Pictures, although Perlman quickly dismissed these reports as “clickbait.”

So, is it really happening this time? Either way we shouldn’t expect the film anytime too soon, as Alvarez (who would seem to be going places in Hollywood, having reportedly been among the contenders to direct ‘The Batman’) is already committed to write and direct ‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web,’ Sony’s reboot of the ‘Dragon Tattoo’ series, before work on the ‘Labyrinth’ follow-up will commence. (Jay Basu will also co-write this project.)

Released in June 1986, ‘Labyrinth’ was only a modest critical and commercial success on release, but has long since grown into a firm family favourite, with a particular poignancy about it since the passing of both Henson and Bowie.

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