The long gestating Fraggle Rock movie has added the kind of star power it needs to finally get into production. Joseph Gordon-Levitt joins the film, based on the The Jim Henson Company’s franchise of the same name, as producer as star, this according to a new report from Variety.

Debuting in 1983, Henson described Fraggle Rock as “a high-energy, raucous musical romp” that is “silly” and “wonderful.” The series centered on “cave-dwelling creatures called Fraggles who have to deal with the industrious Doozers and furry giants called Gorgs,” all of whom lived in the underground world known as Fraggle Rock.

More on this, as well as a quote from Gordon-Levitt after the jump.

Last week we spotted a curious little bit of information in an article by Variety that seemed to indicate that, along with the new Fraggle Rock and Dark Crystal movies we’ve heard about, The Jim Henson Company was also working on a sequel to their 1986 fan-favorite Labyrinth…something no one else had ever heard about.

It seemed odd that not another peep about this sequel was to be found anywhere on the internet, but seeing as how it was Variety, we ran with it while also warning that it could turn out to be a misunderstanding. And as it turns out, sadly, this might be the case after all. According to Entertainment Weekly, sources have told them that a sequel is not being developed at the moment. The Henson Co. had no comment.

Variety is reporting that The Jim Henson Company has brought in the great Billy Crystal to write, produce, and star in an upcoming animated feature of theirs titled Which Witch. But it’s another teeny tiny bit of information that really stands out.

At the very bottom of the report, mentioned as a side note, is a list of projects currently being developed related to existing Henson properties. They include the Fraggle Rock movie we’ve heard about in the past, a sequel to The Dark Crystal that pops up in the news every now and again, a new movie based on the Emmet Otter character, and a sequel to the 1986 fantasy tale Labyrinth. Wait, what? A Labyrinth sequel?!

Jim Henson and Frank Oz‘s 1982 cinematic fantasy The Dark Crystal remains a marvel of practical visual effects, puppetry, and classical storytelling more than three decades after it was first released in theaters. A longtime favorite of kids and adults, Crystal‘s cult following has grown over the years and the film continues to win over new fans every time it gets inserted into a DVD or Blu-ray player or screens theatrically.

I know it did with me. Earlier this year I blind bought the extras-packed Blu-ray release of The Dark Crystal from Barnes & Noble to see if the movie deserved the love and adulation that has been piled on it since its big-screen debut a week before Christmas 1982. As a proponent of practical effects, models, miniatures, and matte paintings over CGI creations I was amazed by the beautiful imagery that directors Henson and Oz – working from a screenplay by David Odell (Masters of the Universe) – and their team of FX wizards and puppeteers headed by concept artist Brian Froud worked tirelessly to bring to life at a considerable (for the early 1980’s) budget of $17 million.

There’s been a severe lack of puppetry in our lives lately, something that was finally and mercifully sated by the recent hit, The Muppets, which delivered most 20 and 30-somethings right back to their childhoods.

Now, thanks to the success of that movie, The Jim Henson Company can branch out to some other projects. BBC One has announced that they’ve entered into a partnership with the late, great puppeteer’s company for a new series titled No Strings Attached.