The Hollywood Reporter brings word today that director Matthew Vaughn is in talks to direct a new version of Flash Gordon for 20th Century Fox! J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who penned a draft of the upcoming Star Trek 3, have written the script. John Davis (Predator, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) and George Nolfi (Ocean’s Twelve, The Adjustment Bureau) are set to produce the film.
This would mark Vaughn’s fourth comic-based film in a row, a pattern that began with 2010’s Kick-Ass and went to X-Men: First Class and this year’s hit Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Created by Alex Raymond in 1934, Flash Gordon began life as a serialized comic strip, following the intergalactic adventures of the titular hero, his fellow adventurer and love interest, Dale Arden, and brilliant scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov. Together, the trio explore fantastic interplanetary locales like Mongo, home of the devilish Ming the Merciless.
Tremendously popular in the late 1930s as a trio of big screen serials, Flash Gordon has since been adapted for both the big and small screen in a variety of different forms. Director Mike Hodges’ feature film (which boasted a soundtrack by Queen) failed to impress at the box office in 1980, but the movie has since emerged as a genuine cult classic. That film’s star, Sam J. Jones, played homage to the character in Seth MacFarlane’s 2012 comedy Ted and will reprise his role in the upcoming Ted 2.
