It looks like George Clooney is heading into the twenty-fifth century but though some reports are saying he will be starring as the legendary Buck Rogers in a new version of the character and television series, there’s only confirmation – so far – of his role as an executive-producer.
The character, like his classic counterpart Flash Gordon, was a space-faring human facing intergalactic adventure. He first appeared in a 1928 Amazing Stories anthology, specifically in a Philip Francis Nowlan-penned story called Armageddon 2419. It told how Rogers was buried in a mine collapse and woke up nearly 500 years later. The character became world-famous after the concept became a comic-strip and then a black and white Saturday-morning adventure serial starring Buster Crabbe. Buck appeared in many stories over the years and in the late 1970s the NBC tv series Buck Rogers in the Twenty-fifth Century (starring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray) was a cult hit which ran for two seasons between 1979 and 1981.
Not much is known about the latest incarnation, except that it is intended to be a ‘prestige’ limited series and will be written by Brian K. Vaughan. It is believed that Clooney may be considering a starring role in the project but that decision is far from a done deal.
