Hollywood has not been kind to Flash Gordon, the beloved space adventurer from the 1934 comic strip created by Alex Raymond. Though the character is often considered one of the most influential in science fiction history, he hasn't fared very well in adaptation, leading instead to some crappy serials and that "so-bad-it's-good" film from 1980 (though it did give us that Queen soundtrack, which was totally worth it.) Now, he'll be getting another shot at the big screen, thanks to 20th Century Fox and producer John Davis (Chronicle, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), who have hired Star Trek 3 scribes J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay to work on the script. For those unfamiliar, the original comic followed Flash Gordon, a Yale graduate who was kidnapped by the mad scientist Dr. Zarkov, and taken into outer space to the planet Mongo, where he finds himself fighting against a tyrannical dictator named Ming the Merciless. There's definitely potential in a Flash Gordon movie, so hopefully Payne and McKay can come up with a script that does the character justice.
James is a 24 year old writer and filmmaker living in Portland, OR. He attended college for graphic design and writes for various sources on the web about film, television, and entertainment.
You can view all of his work on his website, www.thereeljames.wordpress.com
