It’s been an astonishing 36 years since Flash Gordon was in theaters, the epic-ly cheesy but highly beloved adaptation of the long running comic book series, and now it’s finally getting a reboot.
Announced early last year, little has been revealed since, with producer/director Matthew Vaughn keeping silent about it. Until now. Vaughn has announced that he’s hired Mark Protosevich as the film’s screenwriter. Protosevich has penned I Am Legend and the remake of the South Korean hit film, Oldboy, and once officially on board, promised that this new Flash Gordon will be something different:
“All I’ll say is this – it will be nothing like any version of Flash Gordon you’ve seen.”
Bold prediction. In case you don’t know, Flash Gordon is an American football star (polo player in the comics) who is kidnapped along with the lovely Dale Arden by Dr. Hans Zarkov and taken aboard a spaceship to try and stop the evil Emperor Ming The Merciless from destroying Earth. The 1980 film, starring Sam J. Jones has become more than a cult classic, it’s garnered international fame as one of the best “worst’ sci-fi films ever made. Back when this was announced, Jones was public in his openness to be cast in any role, which admittedly would be very fun. Some rumors suggest that his will be a sequel, which opens all kinds of doors for speculation if Jones does join.
But Vaughn is certainly going to take Gordon in a new direction, and with Protosevich’s promise, it is surely going to be a far more grittier and darker version from the one fans know now. The campy silliness of that film, with it’s signature pulse-pounding Queen soundtrack and over-the-top low-budget acting and special effects doesn’t quite fit with modern cinema story-telling and while is fun to look back on, is not what most theater audiences are going to pay to see. That doesn’t mean Jones doesn’t have a place. If this is a sequel, he could retain the name and be a mentor for the next generation, perhaps in a small cameo. We’ll keep you posted.
What do you think about a Flash Gordon sequel/reboot? Let us know in the comments below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzFwECV8Kkk?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]