WIRE Buzz: Dark Crystal prequel gets a prequel comic; The Purge S2 announces cast; more

Our latest WIRE Buzz includes popular franchises spun off into comics, TV shows, and even amusement park rides. The Purge, Tron, and more have all become multimedia phenomena, which means if fans want to keep up with the canon, they’d better diversify.

That’s especially true when it comes to The Dark Crystal. The ‘80s fantasy film (and cult movie for kids who loved nightmares) is getting a Netflix prequel series for those interested in the deep lore of the Skeksis and the Gelflings. But now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, fans can get the lowdown on the characters introduced in THAT prequel thanks to a comic series that gives their backstory. A prequel series to a prequel series!

Entitled Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, the 12-issue Boom! Studios comic will focus on a Gelfling soldier’s quest to find peace through a mysterious artifact. The series comes from writer Nicole Andelfinger and artist Matias Basla and promises to “go deeper into the history of Thra and its inhabitants than ever before,” according to editor Matthew Levine.

That said, the first issue (with a cover by Mona Finden and a variant from Kelly and Nichole Matthews) comes a month after the Netflix show’s Aug. 30 release. Fans will get a chance to know these new prequel characters — and whether they’re worth a prequel of their own — before having to make a comic purchasing decision.

Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #1 will launch Sept. 25.

Next, The Purge has announced the latest batch of actors to undergo 12 hours of legal crime in Season 2. The USA series is based on the horror film franchise of the same name and follows a group of people navigating the dangerous night under threat from all sides.

The network (USA is owned by NBC Universal and its parent company, Comcast, which also owns SYFY WIRE) announced Friday that it has added four cast members: Max Martini (Pacific Rim), Derek Luke (Captain America: The First Avenger), Paola Nuñez (Bad Boys for Life), and Joel Allen (Never Goin' Back).

Luke will play a man whose world and family are shattered when an assassin breaks into his home on Purge night. Allen will also be an unassuming suburbanite, as a frat boy whose life changes forever thanks to the events of the evening. That doesn’t bode well. Nuñez will portray a surveillance expert who excels in spotting and tagging crimes, while Martini will be on the other end of the legal spectrum as a criminal who spends his entire year planning a heist for the night.

No word yet on when the show’s second season will begin production.

Finally, a new Tron roller coaster at Disney World is making progress like it was a matter of zeroes and ones. Aimed at the park’s 50th anniversary in 2021, the untitled ride is being built behind Space Mountain in Tomorrowland — and a few guests have posted some updated construction footage:

“Now Programming,” boasts a billboard outside the winding tracks of the coaster. Entertainment Weekly reports that it will be at least partially indoors, as passengers rocket around the immersive ride in cars based on the lightcycles found in Tron: Legacy.

Since the ride will be based on Tron Lightcycle Power Run in Shanghai Disneyland, fans may be able to expect a high-acceleration ride featuring plenty of flashy, futuristic lights and video segments — a high-tech step for the park’s landmark birthday in 2021.