SciFi’s Latest ‘re-imagining’ Flash Gordon may be courting the 1980 film’s fans with the inclusion of the Queen theme song, but don’t look for the infamous film’s level of camp.  In the Questions and Answers session with the cast and crew behind Flash Gordon, producer Mark Stern emphasized that the new Flash Gordon would take its story telling very seriously, but not too seriously.
The 1980’s version of Flash Gordon cast Flash as a professional football player, played by Sam Jones.  There is talk of Jones having a bit part in the news series, but aside from the song and Jones, the writers of the new series are looking back through the entire legacy of Flash Gordon’s history for story content.

“I think there is definitely a conscious effort on the part of Peter Hume, and his writers in LA, to be true to the original material so that when you tune into the show your going to see the elements you expect to see from the source material, but then finding a real, conscious effort in a way to update it, to make it more modern, and to make it have a more contemporary feel.” Stern told online journalists gathered outside the Flash Gordon set.  “If you’re going to do something from the 30s, or the 70s even, its going to have that stiff or campy vibe.  And there has been a really conscious effort, I thinking, to stay away from camp here.”

Early fan buzz is mixed.  Not surprising considering the range and varying incarnations of Flash Gordon.  Depending on what era you grew up in, individuals can have sharply varied concepts of what exactly Flash Gordon represents.

SciFi channel clearly feels it has a hit on its hands.  The network has ordered a full twenty-two episode first season for the show.

- Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: IESB.net
(Image from IESB)