J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are currently working on the script for STAR TREK 3 with Robert Orci, but are they also penning the script for another sci-fi project? According to Film Divider, the duo are developing a screenplay for a FLASH GORDON reboot, with Jon Davis producing.
The site is also reporting Payne and McKay's take on Flash Gordon will be more like the original Alex Raymond comic, and less like other projects featuring the character. Their FLASH GORDON will apparently not be as campy, and will "reclaim Flash Gordon from his current reputation in the way that Tim Burton redirected the public conception of Batman."
Film Divider goes on to say, "Don’t expect Payne and McKay to take their Flash Gordon to inappropriate, Christopher Nolan-like extremes, but instead hit a tone closer to the rebooted Star Trek; I guess that’s their wheelhouse. This new incarnation would be full of adventure and razor’s edge escapades, balanced by plenty of character work but no real anguish, ponderous chin-stroking or middle-distance staring."
Although Flash Gordon started out as a comic strip, and has appeared in couple of television series (animated and live-action), most people know of the character because of the 1980 movie starring Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Max von Sydow, Chaim Topol and Timothy Dalton. The film was also featured heavily in 2012's TED.
This isn't the first time we've heard about a "gritty" FLASH GORDON reboot, and I'm not sure if that's the right road to take with the the new movie. A big reason why the 1980 film became a cult classic is because of its camp style, and I just don't know if there's any interest in a serious version of FLASH GORDON.
Maybe I'm wrong though. Do you like J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay's plans for FLASH GORDON?