Fox has hired “Overlord” director Julius Avery to write and direct a “Flash Gordon” movie.
The studio had been in negotiations in 2015 with “Kingsman” director Matthew Vaughn to helm “Flash Gordon.” Vaughn will now produce with John Davis and Hearst Entertainment & Syndication Group.
Fox senior vice president Matt Reilly is overseeing “Flash Gordon” for the studio. C.J. Kettler is overseeing for Hearst.
Flash Gordon originated in 1934 as a science-fiction comic strip created by and originally drawn by Alex Raymond to compete with the Buck Rogers strip. The story opened with Earth threatened by a collision with the planet Mongo and Flash’s friend Dr. Zarkov inventing a rocket ship in an attempt to stop the disaster. The comic strip led to a serial starring Buster Crabbe and multiple movies and television series.
Avery is an Australian director who made his debut on A24’s “Son of a Gun,” which led to the “Overlord” assignment by Paramount. The story follows two World War II paratroopers who are caught behind enemy lines after their plane crashes on a mission to destroy a German radio tower — and realize that besides fighting off Nazi soldiers, they also must combat against supernatural forces that are a result of a secret Nazi experiment.
“Overlord” opens Nov. 9. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest, and has received strong reviews with a 93% “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.