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Fox has tapped Julius Avery, director of hot November title “Overlord”, to helm it’s long-gestating “Flash Gordon” movie.
The tentpole, which at one time had Matthew Vaughn circling (he remains onboard as a producer) – and before him, Brock Eisner – will also feature a fresh libretto by Australian director Avery. Last year it was reported that Mark Protosevich (“Thor”) was rewriting a script by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.
Pulp comic “Flash Gordon” was lats turned into a film in 1980 with Sam Jones and Max Von Sydow playing the hero and villain, respectively, of the campy clunker. The character got someone of a profile boost thanks to the “Ted” films, which included Jones cameoing as Gordon.
Created as a result of the success of the “Buck Rogers” comic strip, “Flash Gordon” follows the adventures of Flash Gordon, a handsome polo player and Yale University graduate, and his companions Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov. The story begins with Earth threatened by a collision with the planet Mongo. Dr. Zarkov invents a rocket ship to fly into space in an attempt to stop the disaster. Half mad, he kidnaps Flash and Dale and they travel to the planet. Landing on the planet, and halting the collision, they come into conflict with Ming the Merciless, Mongo’s evil ruler.
“Overlord”, which has snared a plum 93 on Rotten Tomatoes and continues to build buzz, is set for a November 9 release.
