Flash Gordon Bound for Space Again

Twentieth Century Fox has acquired the film rights to a Flash Gordon project written by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the screenwriting duo that has been working on the Star Trek 3 script for J.J. Abrams, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sam J. Jones and Timothy Dalton in “Flash Gordon” (1980)

The comic strip character was created in 1934 by the legendary Alex Raymond, and proved so popular that Buster Crabbe appeared in three movie serials based on the hero. In 1980, Dino DeLaurentiis produced an overstuffed big-screen version starring Sam J. Jones (and featuring Timothy Dalton and Max von Sydow) that has become a camp classic.

As far as I’m concerned, this new project doesn’t stand a chance unless it imports the soundtrack Queen wrote for the 1980 Flash Gordon. Check out the theme song in this video compilation and try to tell me someone could do better.

First Official ‘Age of Ultron’ Set Pic Is… um… er…

Robert “Iron Man” Downey Jr. Tweeted out his first official pic from the set of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it is… well, not exactly action-packed.

The image shows RDJ in a yellow reflective vest, standing next to executive producer Jeremy Latcham.

Well… perhaps that purple jacket Downey is wearing is part of his Tony Stark costume?

 

DOCTOR WHO Gems From a Different Vault

How about a couple of brief yet fun DOCTOR WHO treasures of yesteryear? These video clips are examples of what’s in the archives of British Pathé News and just recently made available to the public at YouTube.

Dalek bookseller circa 1964:

Cyberman and Yeti

I know, I know… all-too-short and quite weird. But that’s what I like about these clips. We fans who weren’t in Britain in the mid-1960s can never truly understand the depths of Dalekmania or places the Doctor’s classic enemies held in the hearts of British children. But I think these videos can begin to hint at it — if you imagine the culture that could give rise to an automated magazine seller in the form of a malevolent pepper pot!

STAR TREK Meets… MAD MEN?

Turns out there’s a great nostalgia-oriented website called The Retroist that curates some of the coolest stuff from/about bygone ages (like the 1980s or 1960s), and these fine folks have uncovered a mind-bending mashup of cool, courtesy of artist Matt Wiley, who has reimagined the classic STAR TREK series as vintage advertising.

You gotta love the non-plussed look on the yeoman’s face as Captain Kirk hits on her in the turbolift. Don Draper would be proud (of the design and mack daddy Kirk)!

Thanks to @TedOnTV for the heads-up via Twitter.

Happy Easter!

Ummm… Happy Easter?

King Kong has a Skull Island holiday treat for his favorite lady, Ann Darrow, courtesy of artist Todd Schorr.

Harrison Ford Opens Door to ‘Blade Runner 2’

Curmudgeonly action star Harrison Ford participated in a Reddit Ask Me Anything forum on April 12 in which he revealed that he would be up for a Blade Runner sequel!

“I’m quite curious and excited about seeing a new script for Blade Runner. If, in fact, the opportunity would exist to do another, if it’s a good script, I would be very anxious to work with Ridley Scott again. He’s a very talented and passionate filmmaker. I think it would be very interesting to revisit the character.”

Director Scott has said a BR sequel “will happen sooner or later,” so with the two major players now on board, perhaps all hopes for a sequel will not be lost, like so many tears in the rain.

Director Teases Next X-Men Movie: ‘Apocalypse’

Director Bryan Singer is already looking past this summer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past to 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse, which will once again “somewhat” adapt a popular storyline from the comic books.

“[The movie] won’t necessarily create an alternate universe [as in the comics], but there may be some swapping things that I’m playing with,” Singer told Entertainment Weekly.

Screenwriter Simon Kinberg added: “From a visual standpoint it actually may be a bigger movie than Days of Future Past because there’ll be disaster-movie imagery, like the title would imply.”

‘Divergent’ Sequel ‘Allegiant’ Will Be Split in Two

In a move that surprised absolutely no one, Summit Entertainment has announced that the final book in Veronica Roth‘s Divergent trilogy, Allegiant, will be split into two movies.

Shailene

The first installment of the film series — Divergent, starring Shailene Woodley — has done solid if not spectacular box office, and the first sequel, Insurgent, is in preproduction on track for release on March 20, 2015. Look for Allegiant — Part 1 on March 18, 2016, and Part 2 on March 24, 2017. Summit is owned by Lionsgate, which pulled a similar expansion trick with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 and Part 2 in 2011 and 2012, making five movies from Stephenie Meyer’s four novels. And right now, the third book in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy is being filmed as two movies, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 and Part 2, due for release this Nov. 21 and Nov. 20, 2015.

Tom Baker Open to Guesting on DOCTOR WHO!

While promoting the launch of 30 episodes of classic DOCTOR WHO on Britain’s Horror Channel, erstwhile Fourth Doctor Tom Baker revealed he is interested in returning to the series — and wouldn’t mind appearing with other incarnations of the Doctor!

This cosmos-rattling change of heart came as he was being interviewed by the Horror Channel:

“I turned down ‘The Five Doctors’ because it wasn’t long since I’d left — I had left DOCTOR WHO because I think I’d run my course. I didn’t want to play 20 percent of the part. I didn’t fancy being a feed for other Doctors — in fact, it filled me with horror! Now, of course, if someone asked me to do a scene with some other Doctors, I think, if they let me tamper with the script, it would probably be quite droll. I would think about that, yes.”

And Baker even said he would like to appear alongside the current 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi.

“I wouldn’t rule anything out. If it was a nice part, with some good lines, I might deign to appear! I greatly admire Capaldi; he’s lovely, and apparently he’s a great fan of DOCTOR WHO — he might ask for me!”

Classic DOCTOR WHO Tales Bound for Horror Channel

“The Sea Devils”

Great Britain’s Horror Channel will begin running a selection of 30 stories from the classic era (1963-’89) beginning tomorrow with a “Who on Horror” marathon featuring a story from each of the first seven Doctors spread over the whole of Easter weekend!

The action begins Friday with the very first serial, William Hartnell’s “An Unearthly Child,” and other episodes bound for the Horror Channel include “The Sea Devils,” “Genesis of the Daleks” and “The Caves of Androzani,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Pity the poor DOCTOR WHO fan in the USA: The Horror Channel isn’t available here in the Colonies, and that’s a great shame; the programming lineup features a lot of great stuff beyond DW, including movies, other old TV series and new interviews.