20th Century Fox is once again attempting a Flash Gordon reboot. The studio has been attempting a new film adaptation of the 1934 comic strip for years, but hasn’t been able to crack the material. So they’re reportedly bringing in Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) to take a stab at a new animated version of the project.
It’s been reported that he’s writing and directing the project, but Waititi himself says it’s too early to gauge what exactly his role will be. But Disney-Fox clearly wants Flash Gordon back as profitable IP, so they’ve hired a man who has proven to be adept at making a variety of comical projects.
Waititi begun his film career with small features like Boy, before exploding onto the film scene with his critically acclaimed vampire comedy, What We Do In The Shadows. From there he directed Hunt For The Wilderpeople and created arguably Marvel’s first pure comedy with Thor: Ragnarok. It’s easy to see why Disney-Fox envision him as a creative mind who can make Flash Gordon cool again.
He’s been in heavy demand since those successes. He recently finished his WWII satire Jojo Rabbit, which hits cinemas in the autumn. After that he’s currently scheduled to helm Warner Bros.’ Akira remake, and he had been working on the stop-motion animation project Bubbles, about Michael Jackson‘s pet chimp. But in the wake of Leaving Neverland, that project looks unlikely to be completed.
Flash Gordon was adapted into a 1980 film and subsequently gained a cult following. Fox has likely torn their hair out trying to get a new version off the ground. Kingsman helmer Matthew Vaughn initially signed on to direct in 2015, before later leaving, claiming Guardians Of The Galaxy essentially “stole” what he had planned to do with the film.
Fox recently hired Overlord director Julius Avery to helm the reboot, but that was before they were under Disney control. The idea now is to reconfigure the film as an animated one.
Funnily enough, in preparation for Ragnarok, Waititi told his department heads to watch Flash Gordon. So he likely has a built-in appreciation for the property. With Waititi on board, Fox will be hoping their long search and years of frustration over this thing are a thing of the past.
#Peace.Love.FlashGordon
