The Final Starfighter Sequel Might Nonetheless Occur, However There’s One Massive Problem

“The Final Starfighter” firmly established itself as a part of the canon of nice ’80s science-fiction and fantasy movies upon its launch in 1984. Directed by Nick Fort (who initially discovered fame enjoying Michael Meyers in John Carpenter’s “Halloween” in 1978), it tells the story of Alex Rogan (Lance Visitor), a younger excessive schooler from a trailer park who aces an arcade sport and units the excessive rating. Little does he know, nevertheless, that this arcade sport was actually a take a look at of his skills as an precise starfighter, which ends up in him being recruited into the Star League to battle in opposition to an intergalactic risk. 

When Alex realizes that he is been drafted into an actual warfare, he declines his probability to be a hero and calls for to be taken again to Earth. Fortuitously, this seems to be a superb factor for the galaxy at giant, as an enemy armada quickly after launches an assault on the key base of the Star League, killing the remainder of its recruits and leaving Alex as the one one left alive. He thusly agrees to function the final starfighter, and the remaining is historical past.

The movie was revolutionary for its computer-generated results, following within the footsteps of “Tron.” At one level, Gene Siskel argued that it was the perfect of all of the “Star Wars” imitators, and it is onerous to disagree with that evaluation. The movie wasn’t precisely a runaway hit on the field workplace (the place it fell a bit in need of doubling its $15 million funds), nevertheless it quickly turned an even bigger success thanks the house video market. Nonetheless, there was additionally a time the place the film all however vanished and have become fairly troublesome to trace down as a consequence of its manufacturing firm, Lorimar, going defunct.

Finally, Lorimar was absorbed by Warner Brothers, though the rights to the movie are nonetheless extraordinarily tangled. Certainly, with completely different entities every having items of the prevailing rights, that vastly complicates the possibilities of a sequel lastly coming to go.

Of us have been holding out hope for a “Final Starfighter” sequel for a very long time. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” co-writer Gary Whitta truly spent years making an attempt to get one off the bottom with in cooperation with the unique movie’s author, Jonathan R. Betuel. Sadly, the undertaking gave the impression to be useless within the water in 2022, at which level Whitta took to Twitter/X to inform his followers the sequel will possible by no means occur (although not for a scarcity of making an attempt). The in need of it? He and Betuel had tried their finest however simply could not get the movie out of growth hell.

By all indications, that model of the sequel would have been referred to as “The Final Starfighters” and seen Alex go the torch to the following era of starfighters and his progeny. Whether or not that undertaking is formally useless or not continues to be a bit up within the air, however we not too long ago received an replace on that entrance from Fort himself.

On the Indiana Comedian Conference this previous weekend, Fort was talking at a highlight panel (one the place I occurred to be the person asking the questions) when the matter of a sequel or probably even a reboot of “The Final Starfighter” got here up. He was adamant, nevertheless, that he wouldn’t prefer to see the movie rebooted. To make certain, there was one thing magical in regards to the unique. A reboot would solely detract from that sensation.

With that out of the way in which, Fort went on to debate the prospect of a brand new film set within the “Final Starfighter” universe. He revealed that he‘s at present working with Betuel on a script for a sequel to the unique movie (one that may, basically, choose up in actual time some 40-plus years later). However whereas Fort made no indication as as to whether this explicit screenplay was brand-new or a contemporary draft of the one Whitta and Betuel had been beforehand cooking up, he did state that work continues to be being accomplished — that means, the sequel is actively making progress of some form.

In accordance with Fort, the largest problem is making the script work for at the moment’s audiences. As he sees it, the sequel must strike a stability between creating one thing that moviegoers new to the world of “The Final Starfighter” can perceive and one thing that may really feel each acquainted and enjoyable to followers of the unique movie. Greater than that, it appears Fort does not need anybody to really feel like they have to look at the unique film with a purpose to take pleasure in this new installment. 

General, Fort sounded optimistic that he and Betuel could make their script. Getting the precise movie green-lit, then again, will nonetheless be a problem — one which we are able to solely hope they will work out.