George Clooney signs on to produce and possibly star in a new Buck Rogers TV series for Legendary
After returning to the small screen for the first time in decades with 2019’s Catch-22, George Clooney is looking to resurrect the beloved sci-fi series Buck Rogers.
Clooney, 59, has come aboard the new Buck Rogers series as an executive producer through his Smokehouse Pictures company, via The Hollywood Reporter.
While there is no acting deal in place for Clooney just yet, the project is being developed as a starring vehicle for him.
George returns to TV: After returning to the small screen for the first time in decades with 2019’s Catch-22, George Clooney is looking to resurrect the beloved sci-fi series Buck Rogers
Legendary is developing the project, described as a ‘prestige limited series’ with hopes that it can launch both a film and anime off-shoot if successful.
Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways) is writing the series, with Clooney executive producing with his Smokehouse partner Grant Heslov.
Smokehouse will be joined by Angry Films’ Don Murphy and Susan Montford (Transformers, Real Steel) and Flint Dille, the grandson of John F. Dille who published the original Buck Rogers comic strip and whose Dille Family Trust owns the rights to the character.
Executive producer: Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways) is writing the series, with Clooney executive producing with his Smokehouse partner Grant Heslov
Buck Rogers was created by Philip Francis Nowlan, with the character first appearing in Nowlan’s 1928 novel Armageddon 2419 A.D.
The character was spun off into a comic strip, which debuted in 1929, syndicated by the John F. Dille Co.
The story followed a man who was trapped in a coal mine during a cave-in, only to wake up 500 years in the future, where he’s tasked to help in a war between warring gangs over what used to be the United States of America.
Early work: Buck Rogers was created by Philip Francis Nowlan, with the character first appearing in Nowlan’s 1928 novel Armageddon 2419 A.D.
The comic strip was so wildly popular it inspired other newspapers to launch their own sci-fi strips, including Flash Gordon and John Carter of Mars.
The comic strip ran until 1967, and it also spawned a number of comic book, radio adaptations and two TV shows, one in 1950 and the other in 1979, both of which were rather short-lived.
No story details were revealed for this new incarnation, or what year it may take place in.
Comic strip: The comic strip was so wildly popular it inspired other newspapers to launch their own sci-fi strips, including Flash Gordon and John Carter of Mars
70s Buck: The comic strip ran until 1967, and it also spawned a number of comic book, radio adaptations and two TV shows, one in 1950 and the other in 1979, both of which were rather short-lived
Clooney is no stranger to the small screen, starting his career in shows like The Facts of Life, Roseanne and Bodies of Evidence before his breakthrough role in E.R.
After E.R. he stuck to the big screen and became one of the biggest movie stars in the world, while also shifting to directing and producing.
He most recently starred in The Midnight Sky, which he also directed, which is currently available on Netflix.
TV return: Clooney is no stranger to the small screen, starting his career in shows like The Facts of Life, Roseanne and Bodies of Evidence before his breakthrough role in E.R.