Robert Eggers Is A Surprisingly Good Fit For A ‘Labyrinth’ Sequel

Earlier today, Deadline broke the news that Robert Eggers, the genius filmmaker behind Nosferatu (2024), is set to write and direct a sequel to Labyrinth (1986)! The thought of Robert Eggers making a Labyrinth movie never occurred to me, but now I can’t think of anyone better to bring the world of the Goblin King back to life.

Labyrinth is a classic. It’s also a personal favorite. I first saw Labyrinth when I was a child, and it hit all the right notes for me as a young movie-watcher. It’s a little dark, but it’s also quite silly. The world it creates is surreal, but it also feels like you could step right into it.

When I look at the movies Robert Eggers has made since his feature-film debut with The Witch (2015), I see a lot of similarities to the way I just described Labyrinth. Eggers’ stories are always dark, and they occasionally mix in some silliness which makes the darkness even more apparent, such as in The Lighthouse (2019). His movies also often get surreal in many ways, but the way he grounds his films in meticulous historical accuracy means they feel real even when they dive deep into fantasy elements.

So, Robert Eggers appears to be a surprisingly good match for Labyrinth. But just what will his version of the story look like?

Since the film will be a sequel and not a remake, hopefully Jennifer Connelly will be back to reprise her role as Sarah. That seems like a given. Maybe we’ll also see Sarah’s brother Toby involved as well. Toby Froud was just a baby when he appeared as Toby in Labyrinth, but he’s since made a career in the film industry as a puppet sculptor and fabricator for films and shows including Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019). Even if we don’t see Toby on screen, it would be awesome if he was involved in the production.

The biggest hurdle is going to be the absence of David Bowie. Will it really feel like we’re traveling back into the Goblin King’s labyrinth if Jareth isn’t there? Will it be the same without David Bowie’s irreplaceable contributions to the music?

There’s great potential for Robert Eggers’ Labyrinth to be a touching tribute to the legacy of David Bowie. Hopefully that’s the route the studio allows Eggers to take rather than recasting Jareth or using CGI to bring Bowie back (which no one wants to see). Make the movie an homage rather than a recreation. If there is a new Goblin King (or Queen), make them different enough from Bowie that there is no basis for comparison.

Robert Eggers has earned the trust of his audience over the past decade, so we should trust that he’ll do the right thing when it comes to Labyrinth. Frankly, Labyrinth doesn’t need a sequel. But, with Eggers at the helm, I can’t wait to see what it will look like.