Labyrinth 2 Already Exists - But Most Fans Never Heard Of It
It's been almost 40 years since the world was introduced to Jim Henson's "Labyrinth," and fans still love to dance the magic dance, thanks to iconic performances from David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King and Jennifer Connelly as Sarah, the girl whose young brother is snatched and hidden away in the titular maze. The film went on to be deemed one of the best fantasy movies of all time, so it's no surprise that word of a planned "Labyrinth" sequel has circulated for years. Most recently, Brian Henson confirmed to ComicBook.com that the long-gestating project is still in the pipeline.
But while the live-action sequel has yet to materialize, the Labyrinth has already continued in another form. Written by Jake T. Forbes and illustrated by Chris Lie with covers by Kouyu Shurei, a stunning manga series released by Tokyopop and titled "Return to Labyrinth" took readers back to that mad, puppet-filled world twenty years after the original film was released.
The story takes place years later, with Jareth's former captive and Sarah's half-brother, Toby, now a high school student. Still monitored by the crystal ball juggling trickster that snatched him years before, Toby is lured back to the world of goblins and other magic creatures by the Goblin King, who finally gets his wish and appoints Toby as heir to the throne. The series sees Toby take on the title while other powers try to take it from him, including an old flame to the Jareth named Mizumi, the Queen of Moraine. The manga was published from 2006 to 2010 and went into even greater detail, reuniting the world's wild-haired antagonist with Sarah.
What happened to Sarah, Hoggle and the Goblin King in Return to Labyrinth?
Taking an almost "Hook"-like approach to a section of the story in "Return to Labyrinth," it's revealed that since her story in "Labyrinth" ended, Sarah has forgotten all about her rescue mission during her teenage years. In the manga, she gets her memory jogged when Jareth returns after spending years posing as Toby's high school counselor. Initially, Connelly's character wasn't planned to be a prominent player in the sequel. But, according to the editor, Tim Beedle, the popularity of the first volume led them to expand on a subplot between Sarah and the Goblin King.
"We had initially plotted this first arc to be three volumes, but since the sales for volume 1 were so good, I was able to get a fourth volume approved," Beedle recalled in an interview with Muppet Balcony. "Therefore, we've expanded on a subplot featuring Jareth and Sarah—which is fitting, since the thing that most of the fans have been clamoring for is more Sarah and Jareth."
The one downer, however, involves the fate of the film's grumpy goblin with a heart of gold, Hoggle (voiced by Brian Henson in the movie). The manga confirms that Jareth fulfilled his promise of making him the Prince of the Bog of Eternal Stench after Sarah kissed him. Hoggle, who never wanted the gig, is understandably annoyed about the entire situation. Of course, there's no telling if any of these plot details will make their way into the proposed film sequel, but at least there's still a story that fans can get lost in if and until the second movie arrives in theaters.