Ragnarok's Taika Waititi taking a 'crack' at animated Flash Gordon movie

Writer/director Taika Waititi has made the case that he can do anything. The rising Hollywood superstar has directed the funniest movie in the MCU, co-created a hit vampire comedy, played Adolf Hitler, and set his sights on adapting Akira. Now he’s after another pop culture white whale: Flash Gordon.

According to Deadline, the adventuring hero will make his animated resurgence thanks in part to Thor: Ragnarok director Waititi. Since debuting in the ‘30s, resurging in the ‘80s, and being juggled by filmmakers like Matthew Vaughn and Overlord’s Julius Avery in recent years, it’s now being handed over to Waititi by Fox/Disney.

Even if Waititi doesn’t end up seeing the project to completion (as the studio used the word “crack” to describe the creative’s role on the project), his involvement will certainly grace the cult character with a certain humor — especially since Waititi has been infusing ‘80s nostalgia with tongue-in-cheek sweetness since his dream sequence turn as Michael Jackson in his feature Boy. And let's not get started on the throwback neons of his Thor film.

A potentially new color scheme aside, for now the sci-fi comic and serial adaptation is still shrouded in mystery. What will remain from past iterations? The shorts? The Queen soundtrack? The old-timey rockets?

Only time will tell, especially since Waititi is one of the busiest creatives in the business right now. While he recently abandoned the animated Michael Jackson film Bubbles, his sights are on the live-action version of Akira next, which is aiming for a May 21, 2021, release. What would you like to see Waititi bring to Flash Gordon?