Universal Pictures
As with many ’80s movies that have some level of fandom, The Last Starfighter has been ripe for a nostalgia-mining resurrection of some sort. Years ago, there was talk of a sequel being on the docket of GPA Entertainment (it’s still listed on their website). There’s also an IMDb Pro page for a movie called Starfighter that sounds like a reboot where the protagonist recruited into an intergalactic war is a US fighter pilot rather than a video game whiz. Now there’s also a reboot in the works, one being developed for the small screen – with a groundbreaking twist.
According to Variety, there will also be a twist in the premise of The Starfighter Chronicles, as the series is to be called. The focus will be on law enforcement in the world we saw in the movie. “It’s about instilling a moral code,” says original Last Starfighter screenwriter Jonathan Betuel, who is also working on this. So, it’s not Star Wars with a kid even more relatable for human kids than Luke Skywalker again. Or even about those wars. It’s a serialized cop show in space. I guess that keeps it from seeming like a ripoff of Guardians of the Galaxy at least?
The big twist is that The Starfighter Chronicles will also have a virtual reality component, making it a groundbreaking show that could possibly be the first step in a new direction for home entertainment. It’s already clear that Hollywood is looking to VR for the future of entertainment as a whole, but so far we’ve been seeing the technology with brands such as Oculus working on movie tie-in experiences to try in cinemas, or it’s been linked to video games. This project teases a future where we sit on the couch wearing our own respective Oculus Rift headset while watching TV, so that we can feel like we’re inside our favorite show. Aside from the social separation, it sounds pretty cool.
Here’s a trailer for the original 1984 movie:
