Dr Strange director helms Labyrinth sequel

Jim Henson followed up The Dark Crystal, considered too dark for children, with the more commercial Labyrinth in 1986. Executive produced by George Lucas (Star Wars), the live-action musical fantasy film starred Jennifer Connelly (Sarah) and David Bowie (Jareth), and utilised tropes from popular tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).

My most indelible memory of seeing the film, with high school friends at the local Odeon, is the opening sequence featuring a computer-generated owl and buying Citadel Miniatures' Chaos Marauders from a local model shop.

Labyrinth quickly became a touchstone of teenage lives (mine included) and I played the Lucasfilm Games' tie-in for Commodore 64 whilst listening to the iconic soundtrack. Talk of a sequel soon followed, but nothing materialised on the silver screen. Return to Labyrinth was an English-language manga series that ran between 2006-2010.

Fast forward to 2020. Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange) will direct a sequel for Sony's TriStar Pictures. Without the late Jim Henson and David Bowie, it's almost impossible to envisage a follow-up to the beloved original as the world falls down...