'Flash Gordon,' 'Highlander' Get Facelifts

Flash! Ah-ah, he's the savior of the universe...

Flash! Ah-ah, he'll save everyone of us...

It seems like only 28 years ago when Freddie Mercury and Queen first belted out the memorable and more or less gawdawful theme song for Flash Gordon, always and still one of the most cheese-tastic sci-fi movies. The flick, starring then- and now-unknown Sam Jones didn't exactly light the world on fire, so the sun had set on Flash for quite a while.

But thanks in part to the success of Iron Man - according to Variety - Flash Gordon, along with Highlander, are now being seen as prime candidates for franchises. Sony leapt onto the rights to Flash Gordon, reaching an agreement with Hearst after Universal let its option lapse. Breck Eisner (Sahara) will direct and executive produce. The logic is, I guess, people will watch anything. No offense to Flash Gordon, but any science fiction older than my father is probably not terribly relevant in the 21st century. Yes, the new film will most likely update things a la the Sci Fi Channel series based on the cartoon strip from the 1930s, but so much will have to be changed to fit in a modern understanding of the genre, which has grown exponentially since the Kubrick film 2001. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that I can only believe there's better, more original, more resonant science fiction spec scripts out there that don't involve polo players with matinee idol looks thrown into a situation where he has to save the universe from Ming the Merciless. That's all. And how do you feel about a new version of Highlander? Here all along, I thought there could only be one. The original was great for what it was, unique, intense, gave its characters a very cool universe to play in and everybody left thrilled. Then there was the sequel. And the apology in the form of what should have been the series-capping part three. Which was followed by more sequels. And unnecessary TV spinoffs. What I've learned through giving each successive chapter a chance is that it only really worked once. Partially, I think, it worked because it was novel and not much like movies of that era. And not everything needs a sequel, even though that story kind of opens itself up for it because of the bit about the immortality. Maybe I'm overreacting, though. The script will come courtesy of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who are busy accepting congratulations on their Iron Man script this summer. The basic premise, if you boil it down, has potential. Immortals fighting in a contemporary world is kind of a cool concept and there's a way to make that fly, I suppose. But my same gut instinct applies here, just as it does with Flash Gordon: Can't you just do something...original? Where's the harm in that? After all, originality is what set Highlander apart.

Comments

[Orinn]

Where is my "Enders Game" movie, or how about we reboot the aliens series, from right after the second one AKA where they stopped being good. No no we need more highlanders movies, and flash gordon. Couldn't even get through ten minutes of the flash gordon series remake on Scifi

[Get The Big Picture]

I think Enders Game is coming, actually. But I agree with your sentiment, particularly on Flash Gordon.

[David]

Hear there is a remake of The Last Starfighter in the works with possibly the same director. Pretty much the same storyline as Ender's Game but with some humor.

They keep making Highlander movies that are awful and end up going straight to DVD but someone must buy them - the same for the Alien sequels. They make enough money to greenlight more. A reboot of both of them makes artistic and financial sense. As for Flash Gordon, there was a series of books a few years ago that updated it into the 90's without Ming and they were not bad.