I’ve always loved the classic pulp heroes like Flash Gordon, Doc Savage, or Buck Rogers. So, when it was announced Legendary Pictures was going to be relaunching the latter character as a multimedia IP, I was super excited. I remember watching the original show with Gil Gerard. There was something so much fun to me about a character who goes to sleep for 500 years and wakes up in the future, hokey though it may seem. Having Brian K. Vaughan pen a new version of the Philip Francis Nowlan-created character was an intriguing prospect From the iconic tv series Lost to his long-running comic, Saga, Vaughan’s work always presents the audience with a unique genre offering that often stands apart from many others in the field. While I was incredibly disappointed that there was an enormous question mark surrounding Legendary’s Gundam adaptation-which Vaughan was set to write under his overall deal with the company, I was glad the prolific writer was getting a chance to put his stamp on this iconic sci-fi hero. Despite the auspices involved, I couldn’t help but wonder whether this would be yet another tale of development Hell. After all, Frank Miller had planned an adaptation of the character following The Spirit, but that idea went nowhere. As it turns out this new iteration of the classic pulp character might be getting a wake-up call courtesy of a former TV doctor and Dark Knight.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, George Clooney has signed on to executive produce via his Smokehouse Pictures banner alongside his partner Grant Heslov. The trade notes that while it’s being developed as a starring vehicle for Clooney, there’s no acting deal in place, the latter of which isn’t too surprising considering he hasn’t done TV since ER save for a brief cameo in the final season.
Clooney has been a prolific director and producer for years, yet he’s never really gotten involved in the pulp side of the SciFi genre before, preferring more heady concepts like Gravity or the recent Netflix film, Midnight Sky. Given his pedigree, I know his influence will enhance this project, regardless of whether he chooses to Star. Hopefully, we’ll start getting more info about the project on a regular basis going forward because this character deserves a 21st-century interpretation.
Are you excited about Clooney’s involvement or do you think Rogers should go back to sleep? Let us know on our social media pages!
