George Clooney Is Making A Buck Rogers Series
George Clooney is coming on board to take part in a new Buck Rogers film as producer. And he may have an onscreen role as well
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George Clooney has mostly slowed down his time up on screen in the last few years, picking and choosing his spots with a role here or a role there when he sees fit. Heck, it isn’t like the guy is doing it for the money anymore. So when a role or an opportunity comes along and he’s signing on, then you know it’s a real passion project; not something just to do it. And that might be the case with this latest piece of news that Clooney is joining a reboot of Buck Rogers for Legendary.
It isn’t clear what kind of capacity George Clooney is joining the Buck Rogers film at this point other than producer but apparently, according to the rumors, it could involve more than just the production angle. There’s a chance he’s actually up on the screen. Others onboard include Brian K. Vaughan who previously was the showrunner for the Under the Dome adaptation and has a number of other television credits as well.
The character of Buck Rogers was created all the way back in 1928 for the comic book pages and follows the story of the titular character. Rogers, following the events of World War I, is working in a mine when it collapses. He’s exposed to radiation which essentially cryo-freezes him in suspended animation until he “wakes up” and is rescued more than 400 years later. The world, as an understatement, is a very different place. It’s basically an early comic strip hero story with Rogers entering the future as a fish out of water. But he’s able to bring certain expertise in fighting while utilizing the new technology. It doesn’t appear George Clooney would play the younger character, but there are plenty of roles here.
George Clooney will help revive Buck Rogers after the character’s nearly 40-year absence from the screen. The last time it had an adaptation was back in the late 1970s with a television run on NBC. And though it’s been a long time since Rogers has been in the public consciousness as a hero, that doesn’t mean the story can’t play here. Considering the future element (he woke up in the 2400s) then there are plenty of ways to modernize this show in a way that’s appealing for a current audience.
Like we said, George Clooney picks and chooses his spots these days, and when he does they are mostly winners. His Netflix movie Midnight Sky is currently pushing to be the most-watched flick ever on the platform. He wrote and directed the movie about a group in the Arctic following a major catastrophe on Earth. It fared okay with critics, sitting at 51% on the Tomatometer, but that doesn’t mean there’s any lack of buzz for the film heading into awards season. Can he bring the same kind of cache to Buck Rogers?
Even after all these years, the name Buck Rogers still carries with it at least a modicum of buzz to it. He’s been out of the public eye, but I expect enough folks to at least recognize him as a hero figure. Adding George Clooney to the mix likely gives it one of its better chances of success as well.
