Around 2005 a soft-reboot sequel had been planned for the 1984 hit ‘The Last Starfighter‘ and while it was scrapped, director Nick Castle (‘Escape from New York’,’Halloween’) has shared what they had planned for it. Not only that, but the multi-talented actor, writer, and director is open to being part of the potential reboot which could happen if Jonathan R. Betuel (‘Theodore Rex’,’My Science Project’) makes one now that the rights have reverted to him.
Castle shared the details while being interviewed about the 4k re-release of the original ‘Halloween’ film and shared what he remembered about the plot that had been developed:
“This was 10 years ago or more, maybe 12 years ago. I think it was 2005 and it was going to be at that point a 30 year, 35-year sequel. It was literally a sequel where Lance [Guest] and Catherine Marie [Stewart], the leads were going to come back as parents. We had a fun script, so I’m not sure right now where Jonathan [Betuel] is going to take it. He has a partner named Gary Whitta who wrote Rogue One, so he’s in good company there. Hopefully, they’ll mount something fun, and we’ll see our characters again.”
While a continuation might have worked, the film is ripe to be rebooted as the original audience might not be as invested as they would have been. While we’re generally anti-reboot here, this is a movie that could work only because it wasn’t as widely seen as many of the other properties from the 80’s which are getting a fresh coat of paint. While it isn’t clear how he could be involved, Castle has shown that he’d love to be part of the process:
“Now just this last year, the writer has retained the rights legally now. So he’s going to go out a second time around and get this thing done. I won’t be a part of it as a director. Hopefully, I’ll help out in the background, but we’d love to do that. It’s so ready. The ‘80s, of course, are being mined by everything. It’s like the last thing that has not gotten remade or had a sequel. I’d love to see that continue on.”
The original film placed Guest’s character as a young video game champion who ended up being recruited in an interstellar war. He was tasked with piloting an actual starship against aliens. The CGI used at the time would soon become outdated and standard in other science fiction films but was groundbreaking when the movie was released:
“Those were real baby steps back then. It was impressive, that’s for sure because no one really had done that It looks so dated now. I look back, and I cringe. The work that can be done now, it’s ubiquitous. You do it; it’s so well done, the artists are amazing. When we did it, it was all research and development that went on at the same time as we were doing the movie. It certainly was, from a historical point of view, an important movie in that sense. Now, of course, that won’t be the issue. It will be using technology that everyone’s familiar with.”
Even on a budget, the CGI needed for a film like this wouldn’t be impossible in this day and age. With the right studio backing it we could even see some amazing visuals.
Would you be interested in a reboot of ‘The Last Starfighter’ or do you think they could still pull off a continuation of the original film? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Bloody-Disgusting
