Frank Miller is not a good director. I’ll expand on this statement next week when I publish my review of The Spirit but for now, trust me, once you see it you’ll agree. So it’s bad news for anyone who’s a fan of Buck Rogers (hey that’s me!), because the rumors are true. Frank is helming a Buck Rogers movie.
The confirmation comes from HR where they say he’s “close” to teaming with Odd-Lot Entertainment to get going on a movie version of the classic pulp property.
Most people probably think of Buck Rogers as it was on television in the 80s, a half-hearted Star Wars knockoff full of silly robots and cheesy ray guns. Miller’s take is supposed to be something darker and more serious. I’ll believe he can pull that off when I see it.
So what is Buck Rogers? It’s existed in many different forms but in every one of them Buck Rogers is an American astronaut accidentally flung into a far off future where the human race is at war and Buck’s unique 20th century skills as a pilot and man about town are useful in some way.
It’s a decent science fiction yarn and one that’s really never been done quite right. Unfortunately with Miller involved I now find it impossible to believe that it ever will be.
