'Flash Gordon' Remake was Delayed Due to 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Similarities

Saturday, 23 September 2017 - 5:53PM
Saturday, 23 September 2017 - 5:53PM
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Perhaps it shouldn't surprise you that a remake of Flash Gordon was on the table at Hollywood. The popular, Queen-scored space opera is a well-established cult film with its bright, ridiculous outfits and charmingly cheesy story.
That sort of camp is hard to replicate, especially when trying to do so intentionally. So the only real thing the potential remake has in its favor is its director: Matthew Vaughn, who has a talent for over-the-top action flicks like Kickass or his two Kingsman films (with a third on the way). We call it his "potential" remake because ever since Guardians of the Galaxy came out, it's been on indefinite hold.
According to Vaughn, the surprising success of GotG unintentionally stole Flash Gordon's thunder, by introducing a team of lovable space rogues who fight evil while cracking dirty jokes. That doesn't sound exactly like the original Flash, but it might've been the new one. Speaking to Collider, Vaughn said of this Flash Gordon/Star-Lord clash: 
Opening quote
"For me, the only problem with Flash Gordon is Guardians [of the Galaxy] kind of stole what I would have liked to have done with it. You've got Star Wars, you've got Guardians, so you've got to have your own space opera, but you have to find something that can survive among these two very, very great franchises."
Closing quote
This makes a lot of sense - we've seen how Vaughn handles superhero movies and spy movies, and a GotG clone with the violence cranked up to 11 is exactly how we'd picture a Matthew Vaughn space adventure. Even though Flash didn't have that sort of personality in the original film, so maybe everyone in this remake would act just like the Hawkmen. Which, honestly, doesn't sound that bad.


But we may never know. Ever since the Guardians of the Galaxy became a huge hit, and Groot went from an obscure comic book alien to a household name, the team certainly isn't going away anytime soon. Between Avengers: Infinity War, the untitled Avengers 4, and the planned Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, they'll be starring in blockbuster films for the next several years.

There isn't much room for Flash Gordon in there. Since he went on to tell Collider that he still wants to make the film, he has a few options: he could wait for the GotG fervor to die down before pushing forward, he could try to cut down the snark in his planned remake and change the remake's tone, or he can just leave Flash Gordon alone. 

Many fans of the original might hope for that last option. Considering the original was 1980s lightning in a bottle, attempting to replicate that nowadays could be hoping for lighting to strike the same place twice. Essentially, you'd have a better chance of sending a real football star into space to fight off an alien attack.

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