'Flash Gordon' Targets Matthew Vaughn to Direct

Maybe it was the character's hilarious, well-received "return" in Seth MacFarlane's Ted, but something got 20th Century Fox ready to bring Flash Gordon back to the big screen. Last year the wheels got moving on a new take on the comic strip hero, and now it looks as if Matthew Vaughn will direct.

According to THR, Vaughn has entered talks to direct Flash Gordon, a character most people will remember from the terrible cult favorite 1980 film starring Sam J. Jones. Vaughn is coming off the smash spy flick, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and of course also directed X-Men: First Class. The script for Flash Gordon comes from Star Trek 3 scribes J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and presumably will stick with the basic premise. Gordon was a Yale grad (his polo career will probably be updated) who, along with a pair of companions, rocket into space where they have grand adventures battling the evil Ming the Merciless.

Hopefully this doesn't interfere with plans for Vaughn to direct a 'Kingsman' sequel, although that could be a good stretch away.