This week, retro science fiction aficionados were shaken by an announcement that was unexpected to say the least. Five years after obtaining the adaptation rights, Legendary is officially moving forward on its feature film project Buck Rogers. And if this name doesn’t mean anything to you despite his status as a sci-fi pioneer, it’s because this character was born 97 years ago. It is therefore not surprising that today, few people are aware that this comic strip by the American artist Philip Francis Nowlan served as a major inspiration for the giants who would follow, such as the saga Star Wars.
Buck Rogers’ impact on pop culture
First appeared in the short story Armageddon 2419 A.D you magazine Amazing Stories of August 1928, Buck Rogers (who initially bore the name Anthony Rogers) becomes the hero of a new genre of story. Trapped in the collapse of a coal mine, the World War I veteran inhales radioactive fumes which plunge him into a protective coma. The soldier then kept alive for more than 500 years wakes up in the 25th century, and rediscovers his planet in the middle of a war against extraterrestrial forces.
Today we consider that the work of Philip Francis Nowlan popularized this narrative format of “traveling to the future”, but that it is also at the origin of the futuristic aesthetic (ray guns, laser beams, jetpacks, etc.) which the big names in science fiction subsequently adopted. The universe of Buck Rogers is also one of the first to benefit from vast ranges of derivative products to support its growing popularity. This work defined the codes of science fiction, from its narration to its marketing, and Hollywood is therefore seeking to bring it back to the forefront.
A modern version worn by big names
Legendary’s acquisition of the rights to the franchise dates back five years now, but things are finally moving forward for the return of Buck Rogers. Deadline teaches us that the production company (also behind the reboot of Dune by Denis Villeneuve) offered the services of screenwriter Zeb Wells (Deapool & Wolverine, Marvel Zombies) to write the script for the future film.
Legendary initially considered a transmedia strategy, with the production of an animated series and a live action series in parallel with the feature film, but there has been no news of these additional projects. Faced with the return of Buck Rogerswill other studios try to reboot Flash Gordon ? To be continued.
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