(CBR) Look out Ming the Merciles, because Fox has officially planted its flag on Mongo. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has finally nailed down the rights to a “Flash Gordon” film following a year of work by producer John Davis.
The script will be written by “Star Trek 3” writers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, based on a treatment by George Nolfi of “Bourne Ultimatum” fame.
The broad strokes of the story are well-established by now (it has been 80 years after all): a half-mad scientist named Dr. Hans Zasrkov kidnaps handsome polo player (or, later, football player) Flash Gordon and his companion Dale Arden and takes them by rocket ship to the planet Mongo, where the villainous Ming has been hurling asteroids at Earth. Gordon adapts to the new world and quickly becomes Ming”s adversary.
Created by famed cartoonist Alex Raymond to compete with “Buck Rogers”, the “Flash Gordon” comic strip debuted in 1934, leading to radio and movie serials, live-action and animated television series, comic books and a 1980 feature film.