Defenders Of The Earth - The Movie...

[Breogan]

If you could develop it for a possible movie adaptation?

Who would you have direct?

Who would you cast today?
As:

-Flash Gordon?
-Dale Arden?
-Dr. Hans Zarkov?
-Mandrake the Magician?
-Princess Narda - http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0Br2eXBQ3...s/ChOi9xBpjAo/s1600/Mandrake_1971-09-12+e.jpg
-Lothar?
-Karma? (Lothar's girlfriend/ African princess) - http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0Br2eXBQ3oE/TNOo_5K95DI/AAAAAAAACxw/a41eilus48w/s1600/ms700208.jpg
-The Phantom/Kit Walker?
-Diana Palmer - http://www.tsscontent.ca/var/news_s...er/1956-1-eng-US/the_phantom_diana_palmer.gif
-Ming the Merciless?
-Princess Aura?

When would you set it?
1930-40's aprrox WWII times, when these characters were created.
or
Contemporary/modern times, now?

As for the kids from the cartoon TV show.
-Would you want them in it?
-Maybe In the sequel?
-Not at all?

 

[Airwings]

Your poster looks extremy cool, and I really mean it!!!
It would be like a space version of Avengers. I have to make that connection because they are both about taking characters that have their own distinct style and no really similarity to each other, and let them team up in an adventure together.
Defenders of the Earth might come out some day. But it better not happen before after their solo runs.
And please, leave the kids out, for heavens sake. I suspect they will be smart-ass teenagers who want to teach their fathers how to solve problems, no matter how much adventures the heroes had before. Just like the son in Mummy 3. And with the personality of Robbie in War of the worlds

 

[prabap61]

the poster is really awesome.we should praise your creativity

 

[Micromind]

I would like to see such movie, but I would prefer that they set this movie in 1980's.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I would love to see this, absolutely. The cartoon didn't intrest me as a kid, it's only when you get older you realise just how cool those 30's/40's characters are. Flash Gordon is up there with Superman and the like.

Perhaps - perhaps - if the Avengers is incredibly popular, someone will consider this.

 

[Airwings]

A dream cast that may never happen, but still... :
Flash Gordon - Zac Efron
The Phantom - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Mandrake - Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Lothar - Djimon Hounsou
Emperor Ming - Peter Stormare

Set in late 40s or early 50s. The characters should be more seasoned heroes than when they first started fighting villains (during the 30s, I guess).
Possible directors can be Stephen Sommers, Ron Howard, Sam Raimi etc.
Robert Zemeckis had the right style before, but is now out of the question because he's quit doing live action.
But before anything of this happen, there must be solo films first. And they should not be linked together like Marvel is doing with their films. I mean, finding the hammer of Thor in an Iron Man film doesn't fit, even if it's just an after credits sequence.
The connection between the heroes and the recruiting prcoess should be in the beginning of Defenders, not before.
And please, do not include the children!

 

[Micromind]

Make only three solo movies before making a Defenders of The Earth movie.

The Phantom movie.

Mandrake the Magician movie with Lothar.

Flash Gordon movie which has Ming the merciless as the villain.

 

[Hypestyle]

I need to find dvds of the cartoons.. hopefully this would be a good movie project. However, my guess is that King Features is mostly trying to spin off separate projects- flash, mandrake, phantom.. so, we'll see..

 

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

Mandrake would be a kick ass movie

 

[Kevin Roegele]

A dream cast that may never happen, but still... :
Flash Gordon - Zac Efron

I have to take a stand against this. Zac Effron? Flash Gordon-? FLASH GORDON?!

It's got to be someone older, and manlier. Flash Gordon is a classic man's man, not a feminised modern version of a man ala Twilight. Someone like Chris Hemsworth (but not actually him obviously.)

If he was a bit younger, and we're casting based on the original comic strips, I'd actually nominate Paul Bettany. Yeah, odd suggestion, but if you've seen Legion or Priest, he has the no-nonsense, methodical, ultra-confident heroism in spades. Something I haven't seen in an actor in a long time. He's not American or classically good looking, but he's a great, weighty actor and he could carry the movie.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Get Armie Hammer up there for Flash.

 

[Airwings]

I have to take a stand against this. Zac Effron? Flash Gordon-? FLASH GORDON?!

You do know that the film won't be out for years, don't you?
By then, Efron could have changed as Leonardo DiCaprio has done the last ten years.
It's only in Defenders that FG needs to be a little older, anyway. In the solo film, which is about the first adventure, the character must still be quite young. That's because he's into professional sports.

Agree that Paul Bettany is a good choice.

 

[Destiny]

I'd rather have a Flash Gordon vs that Mandarin type alien than a team against him, if you're going to have a team, the thread should be big, even if they would need to create their oun villain

 

[Breogan]

.... that Mandarin type alien

That "Mandarin Type" alien? Also known as Ming, predates the Mandarin by over two decades.

.... if you're going to have a team, the thread should be big, even if they would need to create their oun villain

I don't think they need to create their own villain, they already have one, and the threat doesn't come much bigger than the amassed forces of Ming the Merciless and Planet Mongo, all it's minions, robots and armies invading Earth at once.
This was the Galactic Empire before there was an Empire.

Anyway the Flash Gordon drama usually plays out with Gordon going to Mongo and fighting Ming and his forces there, allying his own subjects against him on his own turf.

Defenders of the Earth would play out with Ming and his forces in retaliation Invading Earth, once Flash returns home.
Thus having to recruit allies Mandrake, Lothar & The Phantom on Earth.
Hence Defenders of the Earth

 

[Guhndoi]

I was thinking about this while I was watching Ted, imagining what a new live action Flash Gordon movie would be like then I remembered Defenders of the Earth. All the memories of the cartoon came flooding back. I would think, someone in the biz has to be thinking about this.

I would say, don't have it set in modern times. Do a couple solo films like what has been mentioned before, Flash Gordon, The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician.

But what about the individual character rights? I remember there being talk of a Mandrake movie from Warner Bros.

 

[Breogan]

But what about the individual character rights? I remember there being talk of a Mandrake movie from Warner Bros.

Well as far as I know they are all still held by King Features. - http://kingfeatures.com/licensing/licensed-brands/
Right now Dynamite has all their comic publishing rights under one roof, although infinitely more complicated maybe one day they can work out something similar for the movie rights all under one roof and build to a team movie.

 

[aNarcHy2day]

I did do a fancast sometime back on another site (can I name it? I'm not too sure about the rules) based on the cartoon series.

 

[aNarcHy2day]

So here we go-

PLOT SYNPOPSIS FOR THE MOVIE:

*Author notes- Starts something like how the cartoon show started.*
When Flash Gordon, his wife Dale Arden and his 15 year old son Rick finally embark on a return to Earth from the planet Mongo, they are ambushed by the forces of Ming the Merciless. Dale sacrifices herself to help her husband and son escape.

EARTH: FIVE YEARS LATER
*Author Notes- <I>I am looking at a more ‘realistic’ version of the team. Unlike in the cartoons, it is not set too far into the future- maybe 2019 or something, which is odd as I was just recently watching Blade Runner.</I>*

World famous billionaire magician Mandrake is performing at (some stadium) when Flash Gordon’s spaceship crash lands. Mandrake passes it off as a trick and then makes the spaceship disappear when the authorities arrive and arranges it to be airlifted to his island home of Xanadu. Flash Gordon is welcomed by Mandrake’s friend Lothar, his son L.J and Kshin, an orphaned boy who has been adopted by Mandrake. There Mandrake and the others learn of Ming the Merciless from who poses an imminent threat to Earth.

Elsewhere, the apparently disappearing space shuttle ( Flash’s) and more extraterrestrial activity detected by the Magellan Telescope at the far end of the solar system has the world governments in chaos, but none more so than the United Nations . Chief Task Co-ordinator Diana Palmer has visitors from far away who could be more than useful – her husband, Christopher Walker, and daughter, Jedda. *AUTHOR’S NOTES- I’d love Walker being portrayed in a dark trenchcoat with a hat when he’s not in his iconic suit.*
As a favour to his wife, he visits Mandrake, who is an old acquaintance but the relationship has turned sour due to heretofore unknown factors. These stalwarts put their differences aside and join forces against the Merciless Ming to thwart his attack- to defend Earth!

Contd...

 

[aNarcHy2day]

 

[ShredderX]

DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH !!!! LOVE THIS SHOW AS A KID !!! I woder if Amazon has the dvd's ?

 

[Breogan]

@ aNarcHy2day
Great cast, just man not the kids!

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I was hoping this thread was a real announcement.

I'd love to see this movie.

 

[Airwings]

DON'T include the kids. PLEASE!

 

[Keehar]

What's so bad about the kids then?

 

[Breogan]

While I like the idea of the King Feature characters teaming up (and there is precedence for it before the cartoon) , I'm Just not a big fan of the derivative kid sidekicks, if something like this was ever made, I'd rather they focus on the actual classic King Feature characters, not the little appendages created just for the cartoon.
Maybe it would work, but imagine Avengers with with kid side-kicks tagging along.