Director and producer George Nolfi offers a surprising update for Taika Waititi Flash Gordon restart after three years of silence. First created by Alex Raymond in 1934 for comic books, Mike Hodges brought the character to the big screen in 1980 with Flash Gordonstarring Sam Jones, Melody Anderson, Brian Blessed, Timothy Dalton and Max Von Sydow. Waititi was hired to write and direct an animated reboot for 20th Century and Disney, although it was later reconceived as a live-action project in 2021.
As Nolfi discussed his new action thriller Elevation with Colliderthe director opened up about his involvement with Waititi’s Flash Gordon restart. Nolfi was originally involved as a producer, but he has indicated that he has stepped away from that in recent years. He said:
I’m not very involved with that. There are some things coming up that I can’t talk about that I’m honored to be involved in and that I think would be of interest to you, but I’m not very involved with Flash Gordon at this point.
Waititi is currently attached to several projects
Although Nolfi hasn’t said he’s fully sidelined Flash Gordonit seems production may have changed behind the scenesand could be in a very different position now. Parallel to your involvement Flash GordonWaititi recently brought 1981 Time Bandits for television, co-creating the reboot alongside Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris. Although the Apple TV+ series was canceled after the first season, Waititi is still preoccupied with other projects, including the dystopian sci-fi adaptation Klara and the Sun.
Additionally, he has been hired to direct a live-action adaptation of the classic cyberpunk anime. Akiraand he was recruited by Netflix to adapt Charlie and the Chocolate Factory like an animated series. This is on top of its long gestation Star Wars film. As such, Waititi already has a wide variety of projects under his belt, and if Flash Gordon not a priority, may need another director.
Our Take on the Latest Flash Gordon Reboot Update
The film may require a big change to progress
Flash Gordon it received generally positive reviews and was a financial success upon its release in North America, and has since firmly solidified itself as a cult classic, with the character considered an icon of the genre. With the rise of nostalgia for the 1980s and its pop culture, would seem like an ideal property to reimagineespecially as studios have started using comic books, both mainstream and niche, as source material.
However, Nolfi’s update shows that other productions took precedence for those involved leaving Flash Gordon be overshadowed. Furthermore, with Nolfi and Waititi having a busy schedule for the foreseeable future, it’s uncertain whether the film in its current form will see the light of day. It may be that, to finally get it done, another creative will have to be recruited to bring Flash Gordon back to Earth.
Source: Collider