Good news, sci-fi fans, Taika Waititi’s reboot of the famous space opera, Flash Gordon, is officially on its way. During a recent interview with Collider, producer John Davies shared that the previously scrapped film is back in the works, and will be a live-action feature, despite originally being pitched as an animated movie.
Back in 2019, Disney and Fox announced that an animated Flash Gordon reboot was being made, with Thor director Taika Waititi set to lead the project. However, only a few months after the exciting news broke, the science fiction movie was scrapped – that is until now. Davies told Collider that the film is now back in development, and that Waititi is currently writing the script.
He also discussed why the director made the jump away from animation, and changed the movie’s direction. “He initially said to me, ‘Let’s do it animated.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ Then we got into it and started developing it, and he said, ‘No, let’s do it live-action.’ I said, ‘Even better,’” Davis explained.
“He has the most fantastically interesting vision for this movie,” he continued. “It is what he does. It is the way he looks at the world. He is the greatest guy in the world. He is the funniest guy in the world. And he thinks on a different plane. And this movie embraces everything that’s special about Taika, and his vision.”
The producer adds that Waititi hopes to thrill audiences with an updated take on the original character from Alex Raymond’s 1930s comic strip. Flash Gordon’s first Hollywood break was the 1980s beloved adventure movie, Flash Gordon. The film followed a handsome polo player who travels to the planet Mongo, and faces off against its evil emperor Ming the Merciless. With such an iconic plot, it is exciting to see how Waititi makes the classic story his own.
No future dates about the sci-fi film have been disclosed just yet; however, we will keep you updated as soon as we know more. In the meantime, we can all look forward to Taika Waititi’s upcoming entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Love and Thunder, which is set to release on May 6, 2022.