Buck Rogers movie in development at Legendary

Buck Rogers may be returning to our screens once again as it's been reported that Legendary Entertainment is in the final stages of closing a deal for the rights to the character. Although he was first created by Philip Francis Nowlan in 1928 for an issue of Amazing Stories, most know of Buck Rogers thanks to the short-lived TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century developed by Battlestar Galactica's Glen A. Larson.

According to sources, Legendary are naturally hoping to transform BUCK ROGERS into a new franchise, beginning with a feature-film that could clear the way for a "prestige television series as well as an anime series." Once everything is official, Legendary will begin searching for a writer to help them transform the character for a new generation. The original take on Buck Rogers told the story of a man who fell into suspended animation after becoming trapped in a coal mine, and after waking up close to 500 in the future, Rogers was enlisted to help fight a war between gangs in what was once America. The 1979-81 TV series transformed Rogers into a NASA/USAF pilot who was accidentally frozen for over 500 years before being revived in the year 2491. With the help of Colonel Wilma Deering (Erin Gray) and Dr. Theopolis, a sentient computer carried around by Twiki, a small robot, Buck Rogers went on various missions to protect the planet.

There have been several attempts at developing a BUCK ROGERS movie in the past, most notably from Frank Miller (THE SPIRIT) and Don Murphy (TRANSFORMERS), but both of those projects fell apart. Here's hoping that Legendary has better luck.