Matthew Vaughn In Talks To Reboot Flash Gordon

Back to the big screen for the classic comic book hero.

By Brendon Connelly /

Flash Gordon has had surprisingly long run of big screen success. There was Mike Hodges' brilliant, overblown 1980 movie, complete with excellent overacting and more kitsch costumes and hair-dos than anything this side of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Long before that, there were serials, the first of which proved incredibly popular in 1936 and became a protected motion picture under the auspices the US Library of Congress in 1996. But comic book movies are so insanely big right now that I'm not even the tiniest bit surprised that another reboot is on the cards. Indeed, it feels more like a case of "What kept you?" Fox made a deal for the Flash Gordon rights a year ago, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, they're now negotiating with Kingsman and Kick Ass director Matthew Vaughn to take the reigns. Vaughn's longtime friend and collaborator Mark Millar has recently created Starlight, which seems to be his riff on the basic Flash Gordon ideas. Now they've both got their own version to play with. The last script for Flash Gordon was written by JD Payne and Patrick McKay, but Vaughn is very likely to rewrite extensively. There's a long way for this project to go right now, but we'll keep you posted. Expect to hear a lot especially as they get into casting.