A sequel to 1986’s Labyrinth is in the works, though director Scott Derrickson isn’t entirely sure what’s happening with the project at the moment.
In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Derrickson revealed the script for Labyrinth’s sequel hasn’t been finalized yet, leaving him relatively unsure about the current status of the project.
“I don’t know what’s happening with that,” he said. “We never got the script all the way to a place where the studio wanted to make it, but I was very proud of the work that we did on it. And it’s a hard, hard project to turn into something commercially viable, because it’s so imaginative and surreal that there’s no way that it can be done cheaply. And at the same time, it’s so daring and different that it is a tough movie for a studio to feel competent that it has enough commercial value to earn a profit. So I think that it’s a tough nut to crack, but all I can tell you is I’m very proud of the work that we did on it. We certainly had a great film in mind.”
Regarding how the sequel will address the Goblin King, a character played by the late David Bowie in the original film, Derrickson said, “Because the project is still in development, I probably shouldn’t say. Because I think we had a really cool idea, but I don’t want to blow that in case the movie does get made.”
Jennifer Connelly previously had conversations about returning for Labyrinth 2
Labyrinth was directed by Jim Henson, who co-wrote the script alongside Dennis Lee and Terry Jones. The film follows a young girl, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), as she tries to make her way through a fantastical maze while trying to save her infant brother, who has been kidnapped by Jareth, also known as the Goblin King.
A sequel to Labyrinth was originally announced in 2016, with Evil Dead’s Fede Álvarez signing on to direct in 2017. Álvarez stepped away from the project in 2020, at which point Derrickson was brought on to replace him.
In 2021, Connelly told Collider she’d “had conversations” about returning for the sequel but that she wasn’t “really sure where that’s going to land.”
