Matthew Vaughn in Talks to Direct 'Flash Gordon'

The Kingsman director is poised to bring Flash Gordon back to the big screen.

Story by Matt Cummings

If you've listened to our Inside the Bucket podcasts, you know of our boss' affection for the 1980 Sci-Fi film Flash Gordon. Full of camp and cheese, the film followed the extraterrestrial exploits of the titular character (played by Sam J. Jones). But the 'franchise' (if you can even call it that) has been in a slumbering coma. Gordon, a football star who becomes a space adventurer - battled Ming the Merciless and captured the heart of human Dale Arden (Melody Anderson). The movie doesn't hold up at all for many reasons, and there's not exactly a lot of clamor to see it return.

But that could be changing.

Our friends at THR are reporting that Kingsman: The Secret Service director Matthew Vaughn could be working on a Flash Gordon movie series reboot. Negations between he and 20th Century Fox are currently underway, which represents the first real news about the project since Fox acquired about one year ago. There's already a script in play, written by Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, whose Star Trek 3 screenplay was abandoned when Roberto Orci left/was removed in December. However, Vaughn is a co-writer on most of his movies, so it's likely that if he signs, the McKay/Payne script will disappear.

Vaughn could be the person Fox has been looking for to bring a fun but serious take on the 1930's hero. Kingsman and the first Kick-Ass took themselves just seriously enough to make the comedy work with the great action sequences. His work on X-Men: First Class represented his most serious work so far, so it's possible he could craft a gritty, serious Flash or a more tongue-in-cheek version.

Until official word arrives, we'll just have to enjoy the tips-of-the-hat that will soon arrive in Seth MacFarlane sequel Ted 2 - Jones is set to return as himself when that film arrives on June 26, 2015.

Discuss this story with fellow SJF fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJohnFilms, and follow author Matt Cummings at @mfc90125.