The dreams of an animated film from the mind of Taika Waititi seemed crushed as it was recently announced that the filmmaker walked away from his stop-motion film “Bubbles.” But Waititi fans will be happy to know that the writer-director is now reportedly attached to another animated film, and this time it’s not about the pet chimp of an alleged child molester.
According to Deadline, Waititi has signed on to “crack” an animated “Flash Gordon” film for Fox/Disney. There are rumblings that he will potentially write and direct the film, but as of now, his role is not 100% confirmed. But he IS attached as someone that is supposed to figure out how to bring the pulpy ‘30s sci-fi adventurer to the big screen.
READ MORE: Taika Waititi’s ‘Akira’ Live-Action Adaptation Scores Spring 2021 Release Date
While the character has been around for decades, many film fans will only remember the campy 1980 “Flash Gordon” film that starred Max von Sydow and Sam Jones. But Gordon is actually a character that has been beloved by millions since his debut in a 1934 comic strip. The basic premise for the 1980 film and the 1934 comic strip is how a young, handsome athlete from Earth gets unwittingly drawn into an interstellar conflict with the evil leadership of the planet Mongo, led by the ruler Ming the Merciless.
The 1980 film took the fairly silly premise and cranked the camp up to 11, with a focus on the idiot jock trope and the pulp serial feel of the classic strips. All of that was accompanied by music by none other than the rock band Queen. At the time, the film was looked at as a major disaster but has developed a fairly large cult following in the years since.
READ MORE: ‘Overlord’ Filmmaker Julius Avery To Write & Direct ‘Flash Gordon’ Reboot
Waititi is putting the finishing touches on his upcoming film “Jojo Rabbit,” which is a World War II satire that finds the filmmaker starring in his own project as Adolf Hitler. After that, it seems like he’ll begin work on the long-awaited “Akira” feature film. That leaves the “Flash Gordon” project months, potentially years away. That is, unless Waititi hands the reins over to someone else after “cracking” the code, so to speak.
It would appear that this new animated version of the film would mark the official end of development on the live-action version that recently saw “Overlord” filmmaker Julius Avery attached. Maybe, this is for the best.
