The Jim Henson puppets.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Tami Stronach is starring and executive producing a new children’s fantasy film called Man & Witch. This will be the first major role she’s had since her debut in 1994’s The NeverEnding Story, where she played the Ivory Tower-dwelling Childlike Empress ” a character a generation of fans became obsessed with (just look up the cosplay tips). The film ” which will also star Lost’s Michael Emerson ” was written by co-star (and Stronach’s husband) Greg Steinbruner and is about a witch (Stronach) who loses her heart to a “hapless goatherd” who she’s tasked with breaking a powerful curse.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/06/our-25-favourite-summer-blockbusters-of-the-1980s/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/23/e1zjomwhxaidjecg9dcm-300×169.jpg” title=”Our 25 Favourite Summer Blockbusters of the 1980s” excerpt=”For the first time in most of our lifetimes, your local movie theatre won’t have a summer blockbuster season. The covid-19 pandemic took care of that, pushing most of the big-budget popcorn films scheduled for this year’s summer months into fall, spring, or even next summer.”]
It’s fitting that Stronach is returning for a film that’s described as a “heartwarming homage to the lo-fi fantasy films of the 1980s,” considering that’s where she set her roots. It’s also where co-star Astin made his start, acting in some of the most iconic movies of the 1980s, like The Goonies and Rudy. In Man & Witch, Astin will play the character of Dog, one of a few puppet creations that the Jim Henson Creature Shop will be making for the production. The talking animals, which also include a sheep and goose, will be played by a mix of real animals and Jim Henson puppets.
This project is coming on the heels of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which has yet to announce a (seemingly unlikely) second season, but it’s a good time for old-school puppetry to make a comeback. Production on Man & Witch is set to start this fall, pending any possible covid-19 delays, and no expected release date has been announced.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/06/an-ancient-dark-crystal-mystic-comes-to-life-for-the-first-time-in-a-new-book-of-thra/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/19/dy9vnkkd90t1hj5fxy3s-e1592520243974-300×164.png” title=”An Ancient Dark Crystal Mystic Comes to Life for the First Time in a New Book of Thra” excerpt=”The world of Thra is full of incredible beings and creatures, from major civilisations like the Gelfling and the Skesis, to humble landstriders and adorable (and occasionally horrifying) Nurlocs. Now, a new book wants to detail Thra’s grand bestiary ” and Gizmodo has an exclusive look inside.”]