Gary Whitta has been working on developing a reboot and sequel to the 1984 sci-fi cult classic film, The Last Starfighter, and he recently took to Twitter to share some concept art.
The Last Starfighter is a classic piece of modern sci-fi, and it’s a film that is beloved by many. Even though it’s been over thirty years since the film first premiered, the movie has a loyal, cult following. So when Rogue One director Gary Whitta began talking about developing a Last Starfighter reboot/sequel, fans got excited.
And while the fans of the 80s film started to think nothing would ever come of this reboot, Gary Whitta reignited the reboot rumors by sharing a handful of concept art pieces on his Twitter. Though he doesn’t state the name of the film the art is attached to, he does mention that fans might “recognize the ships,” which we absolutely do. The images feature several Gunstar ships and what appears to be a Starfighter base.
Okay, probably shouldn’t show you this so early but here’s a little something I’ve been tinkering on with my co-writer Jonathan Betuel. You might recognize the ships. Thanks to the amazing Matt Allsopp (lead concept artist on ROGUE ONE) for creating these images for us. pic.twitter.com/CIobLYYRHk
— Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) April 4, 2018
So does this mean that a reboot of The Last Starfighter is happening? Well, not necessarily.
Though Whitta has a solid idea for a reboot/sequel to The Last Starfighter (it’s a reboot and sequel similar to Tron: Legacy and Blade Runner 2049), obtaining the rights to The Last Starfighter is proving challenging. While Whitta didn’t go into a ton of detail, he recently told i09 that moving this film forward has been a challenge thanks to dealing with some “archaic rights issues.”
However, Whitta assured fans that he and the writer for the original film, Jonathan Betuel, aren’t giving up easily. The two have worked hard on hammering out a story that would reboot the story, and as Whitta said, they have landed on something they’re both passionate about. So even though it’s an uphill battle, Whitta and Betuel will be fighting hard to make a new Last Starfighter film a reality.
We’ll be keeping our ear to the ground as more news develops on a Last Starfighter reboot. In the meantime, we’ll be back at the arcade making sure our high scores are up to par for when Centauri comes calling again!