In 1986, a Jim Henson film was released starring David Bowie and a young Jennifer Connelly. The film, about a girl who must best the Goblin King to save her brother by making her way through his complicated maze, was a critical and commercial success, and garnered a huge cult following in the near-30 years since its release.
Fans of the film have something new to look forward to, though. This morning, Jim Henson Productions announced that they were beginning production on the sequel to the film, simply titled Labyrinth 2. The film is set to reunite Connelly and Bowie, who have both already signed on to star in the $70 million dollar fantasy epic.
“It’s going to be so much fun,” says Connelly, now 44. “I was 15 or 16 when we were filming the first movie, and it was just a ton of fun. Of course, being so young, I didn’t pay much attention to David’s crotch, but as I grew up and watched the film again, I don’t know how I ever could have missed it. It’s just – it’s the real centerpiece for the movie, isn’t it?”
Over the years, Bowie’s enormous crotch piece has become fodder for jokes, and an extreme point of interest for girls – and even some men – who love the film.
“Oh, God, yeah – the GBD, we call it. Giant Bowie Dick,” said Marlene Renner, a fan of the original film. “I saw that movie for the first time when I was 19, and hot damn. I was already a Bowie fan, but that movie…well, that movie really turned me into a mega fan. I hope to Hell that he’s got the tight pants in the second one, too.”
The costumes have not begun to be designed for the second film, as production hasn’t started yet, but costume designer Jennie Smith, who was only 13 when the first film was released, said that when she was hired to design the new costumes for Labyrinth 2, it was made perfectly clear that the ‘star’ of the movie needed to be David Bowie’s crotch.
“In the first movie, you had Jennifer Connelly, who was very beautiful. You had all the awesome creatures created by Jim Henson’s production team. The one thing that everyone talks about though, is those tight, white pants that Jareth the Goblin King wears. Judging by the amount of fans that those pants have, you can bet that they’ll be making a resurgence in the next film.”
Labyrinth 2 is set to begin filming in February in England and Scotland, and will be released December 25th, 2015.