Sony has announced that it has signed writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless to pen the next big screen adaptation of Flash Gordon. The update to the series has been passed around from Universal back to Hearst owned King Features Syndication, and now finally to Sony, who picked up the rights a few months ago.
Joining the writers are producer Neal Moritz and director Breck Eisner.
There are a lot of people who still have an affection for the 1980’s Flash Gordon flick, those that get a kick out of Buster Crabbe’s 1930’s serial, and not a single person I know that likes the Sci-Fi Channel’s attempt at a reboot. This brings us to the question of the day; will audiences take to a new Flash Gordon?
3 Comments
I think the problem with the Sci-Fi series was that it wasn’t Flash Gordon in any way that was recognizable… Ming was NOT Ming, and am I remembering correctly that there was some connection between Flash’s father and Mongo? I don’t have much of an issue with Mongo being another dimension vs another planet, but the fact that they seemed to just wander between worlds with the ease of the Earth-1/2/X crossovers of the 70’s also hurt it. If they do it CLASSICALLY with no extreme deviations from the source material (or at least the Buster Crabbe serials – have to admit, I don’t know how accurate those were), I thnk they could nail a good audience. I mean, even Speed Racer made money, and I’m told that it was garbage.
Got some points, Jim. I watched about 3/4 of the Sci-Fi pilot and was just stunned at how much they got wrong trying to save money and put their own spin on the story. Of course, Flash’s father/Mongo isn’t much less ridiculous than the recent “Thomas Wayne meets Jor-El” storyline…
Either way, if they make it IN the period and not OF the period, a 1930’s-ish Flash could work. Digging too deep into trying to make it fit a serial approach will definitely alienate certain viewers. I myself had figured out at least one way Flash could work in a 21st Century setting while still maintaining Ming, the worlds of Mongo, and all that nonsense. I even got as far as jotting down most of the first act. And I’m a complete amateur! We should trust Hollywood professionals to accurately pay tribute to the great characters of our youth!
Okay, part of that paragraph was complete and total BS.
I think no Movie Studio would get it right. They’re affraid of casting an Asian as Ming because they think it would be construed as racist. As we all know, only white males can be portrayed as villains in Movies. Which is outrageous.
However, if done right and with today’s FX, Flash Gordon could be really cool. It would have to be a variation on the “Sin City” style. I would use Pulp Fiction art motifs in the Flash Gordon movie. I would also hire Warren Ellis to write the script and John Cassaday on Art Direction.