News on a new Flash Gordon movie has been scarce and we’ve not heard of any official developments since nearly a year and a half ago when Neil Moritz acquired the rights to the film and Breck Eisner was picked to direct. That changes this week as rumors surface of who is being looked at to play the lead role. Hollyscoop is reporting that an insider of theirs informed them that Sam Worthington and Ryan Reynolds are up for the role of Flash against two others.
For those unfamiliar with the classic sci-fi tale, the story of Flash Gordon takes place when our planet is hit with a meteor strike. We find out through the story that these meteors are weapons from the planet Mongo sent by Ming the Merciless, their evil ruler. Flash Gordon and friends make their way to the planet and adventure ensues.
The last on-screen appearance by the character was the Sci-Fi show (pre-SyFy), titled Flash Gordon which only lasted one season and didn’t meet the expectations of fans. We should see something a little better with this big budget feature.
In the original 1934 comic strip incarnation, Gordon was a polo player but in the 1980 cult film, he was a quarterback of the New York Jets. From what we know of the film project, it is going to be re-imagined and modernized, staying true to the feel of adventure.
The character is an American icon of sorts and so we can expect some friction with the fact that Worthington is Australian-born, the same friction we saw with rumors of Worthington being a possibility for the role of Captain America.
“If he gets the role it would be quite a big deal as Flash is an all-American hero… Right now it’s between Sam, Ryan Reynolds and one or two others for the lead role should the project actually get off the ground.”
To me, seeing Reynolds and Worthington as rumored candidates for the role of Flash Gordon doesn’t mean that much. Both of them are on that list of popular dudes discussed for every leading role out there. Also on that list are Star Trek’s Chris Pine and The Hangover’s Bradley Cooper who along with the aforementioned actors, are rumored for seemingly every upcoming action or comic book flick. Heck, they’re probably the other two actors that the “source” is referring to.
Ryan Reynolds may have his hands full with two potential superhero franchises in DC Entertainment’s Green Lantern movie and Fox’s X-Men Origins: Deadpool flick. Those movies require more than just a several-month shoot, but an abundance of press events to attend. Flash Gordon would be another that would require a hefty chunk of the actor’s time. However, it’s no surprise if they are looking at him as he’s got the fanbase, profile and qualities of a leading action and comedy star.
Worthington on the other hand solidified himself on the A-List last week with success of James Cameron’s Avatar and a leading role in the summer’s Terminator Salvation. He’s also got the Clash of the Titans coming in March and has signed for a few upcoming projects, while being mentioned for every other.
I really love both actors and I can’t say I’d be against either for the role. I think the only issue is whether they can actually take the role with them being hot commodities in Hollywood at the moment.
What do you think about a modernized Flash Gordon and who do you think should play the character?
Flash Gordon is aiming for a 2012 release.
Source: Hollyscoop (via Cinematical)
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Given a choice, I’d say *don’t make another Flash Gordon.
Reynolds has is plate full for the moment I think, someone else please.
I don’t mind Worthington playing Flash Gordon. The character may be American, but I don’t think he “represents” America in the capacity of someone like Cpt. AMERICA. Or maybe he does, I don’t know, never read the comics or anything…
Alexander Skarsgård
Here is the perfect role for him to break into movies, not to mention the fact that he can bring in the female audience for an action film like this.
I think he’d be perfect and it would be great to not have the same guys save the day as usual ( i.e. Ryan Reynolds, Sam Worthington, Chris Pine)
I think Worthington should be in every film released between now and 2012.
No, really.
Vic
Reynolds is reading for every superhero role left.
@Vic
Why end at 2012? Worthington and Reynolds should just be in every single movie until they’re too old to act, lol.
I’m excited they should fight for it!
on top of sky city
Ofcourse
Do it the old navy way – First one to Die…Losses
Mark Valley could do it.
who really gives about “sam not being american” it doesnt matter so long as he doesnt sound aussie its all good.
i like reynolds but seriously enough is enough, it seems that everyone wants him to be the lead role in all hero movies nowadays, he would have made a great flash because flash cracks jokes etc and reynolds adds humor to most his roles, so the two would have gone perfect, but green lantern apears to be more serious.
i personally think there was a casting mistake somewhere hehehe
I think Reynolds would be a great choice, but I don’t want him to get it. He’s busy with Deadpool and Green Lantern and I don’t want him to add this to the list because that might mean those 2 projects will take even longer to hit theaters, and frankly I’d rather see Deadpool and Green Lantern instead of Falsh Gordon. Also I think Sam Worthington would be better for a more serious role, not this. Sam Worthington should go for something else, because he’s better than this. Everyone’s trying to get him in their movies, he can pick and choose what he does and does not want to do.
I think Jensen Akles could do it, but if they really wanted Worthington and people were pissed at him not being american they could just make Flash an Aussie this way he could be a WORLD HERO which would be kinda kewl.
Until he impresses me, I couldn’t be bothered to care about Captain Australia. We get it, your agent is almost as good as Julia Roberts(I will say as good when he gets an undeserved Oscar) but geez, how much work can a guy get based on what he’ll someday do that’s gonna be good? As far as Reynolds, I was a fan before he was anybody, but now, I’m starting to get tired of seeing him. Sorry, but his unique brand of snarkiness is better when its, you know, unique as opposed to used in every big-budget film ever.
I don’t care who plays him (though I’d rather see Sam Worthington than Ryan Reynolds, who seems a little too boyish). I just don’t want to see them “modernize” Flash Gordon. I’d like to see a big-screen version of the comic strip, with rocket ships with big fins and ray guns with energy-radiating flanges and little dishes on the end.
My dream version of Flash Gordon is production-designed by WETA and directed by Peter Jackson from a script by David Goyer and Christopher Nolan.
The one thing this film won’t have is a killer soundtrack by Queen, and therefore will always be inferior to the 1980 classic!
^
Flash,!!! Ahh aaaaah,,,!
Hero of the universe!!!!!
^
Gordon’s alive????
@ Stephen Tilson
There is a Buck Rogers web series in production that has your 1930′s-style rockets and ray guns … and even has Gil Gerard playing Buck’s father. Of course, a BR movie is in production as well, but I haven’t heard much about that for a while.
For the Flash movie, I’m hoping for something along the lines of the 1980′s Flash Gordon cartoon from Filmation … modernization doesn’t bother me as long as they keep the spaceships / starships in there. That was the one unforgivable sin of the SyFy channel series, in my opinion …
With all the VFX tech we have now, why is there less space opera instead of more?
There is no way it’s going to be Ryan Reynolds. He’s already two superheros.
Yeah Stephen set it between the two World Wars. Zarkov can be Hermann Oberth Zarkov a professor with a visiting young friend and Von Braun as associate at the university in Berlin. Dale is there as the visiting student. This particular University is important because one heck of a lot of scientists and professors ended up here that could further the story. Like these;
Carl Bosch: chemist, Nobel prize winner
Gustav Ludwig Hertz: physicist, Nobel prize winner for
electron collisions in gases. his uncle was Heinrich Hertz yeah that Heinrich Mr. VHF, UHF.
Eugene Wigner: Nobel prize winner, Atomic Physicist and chemist. some considered him the intellectual equal to Albert Einstein.
Konrad Zuse whose Z3 was the world’s first working programmable, fully automatic computing machine. Hey a computer!
If some are makiing a fuss over Australian born Worthington, what about Reynolds? He’s not American. Yet another talented (under the radar) Canadian. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia. But who cares. Isn’t acting all about being somebody you’re not? We Canadians make great infiltrators.
? Clever those Canadians!
i forgot to say, if there is going to be a justice league movie how is reynolds (if he gets the role for flash) going to play 2 characters at once ?
after thinking about it for a few hours (i was reading over some comics) i dont think either would be good for the role, worthington keeps dropping his accent and reynolds isnt really a serious character (if you’ve watched blade 3 you’ll know what im talking about)
it should be someone unique maybe even a new actor, it would be cool to see a noob playing sucka big role, maybe even the antagnoist from never back down (blonde haired guy) would be good
Wouldnt mind Reynolds taking the role, not Worthington though as he has done nothing to impress me yet. Personally, I know this might seem like a weird choice but I’d like Flash to be played by Matthew McConaughey. He’d be a good Flash.
But I would rather it was left alone, the original is an absolute classic, from the amazing Queen soundtrack to Timothy Dalton’s Prince Barin.
…And Ryan Reynolds is Canadian…
Only problem is that Freddy Mercury is dead & can’t do the score
Could we re-cycle the theme song???
(The best part about the movie was SERIOUSLY the soundtrack by Queen…)
I hate to be the party pooper but Hollyscoop was also the site that said Miley Cyrus was playing Batgirl and Taylor Swift was playing Supergirl.The site has one of the worst track records for that well-known internet ‘news site’ phenomenon of just making it all up. You lot will believe anything. Isn’t it time to step back and apply a little judgement to online news?
Original… HUH??? The original was made back in 1936.
I get your meaning though DrSam. A 1936 episode can’t be considered a movie by today’s standards. If you watched the 1936 story or read the original strip you might feel a little differently about Dino’s version being definitive for all time. I think a retelling can be seriously done today using 85% real science. Maybe higher. Depends if Mongol as a rogue planet is put in an orbit around our sun or not. A much smaller planet than Earth with lesser gravity would be nice. Putting it out of the plane of the elliptic like Cruithne, Earth’s second moon,
would give Mongol a sweet spot that would be plausibly reachable and inhabitable. Get Cruithne involved as material used by Ming to bombard Earth.
@theoldman
i have actually seen the 30′s version, and I think it is absolutely excellent, I love those old B/W movies.
And, funnily enough, I called one of the characters in my novel Cruithne.
i think Jensen Akles wud be perfect. hes a good actor which can bring both action and comedy to the screen and deliver. or maybe joseph gordon-levitt:D he could also fit the role pretty good:p
Well DrSam maybe they won’t make it. Maybe the industry will crank out a good “When World’s Collide” instead. Wonder how that’s going? Which is the lesser evil?
@ David B,
Ummm… I said it was a “rumor” followed by “it doesn’t mean that much” seeing these names.