Flash Gordon is a cult-classic science fiction movie that might have gotten a sequel in another universe, but the provocative tease it ended on has still gone unfulfilled to this day. One of the science fiction genre’s most influential characters, representing one of the earliest spacefaring heroes, it’s surprising that Flash Gordon never managed to lead a modern franchise. Of the many Flash Gordon movies and TV shows, the best is easily the 1980 Flash Gordon movie, which was sadly deprived of a sequel despite its cliffhanger ending that teased one.

It’s always a shame when movies teasing sequels that never actually get one are actually good, and Flash Gordon counts itself among the rare few. The story re-interprets Flash Gordon as a normal football star who gets caught up in a battle against the evil Emperor Ming, who causes destruction on Earth simply because he’s bored. It’s up to Flash, travel agent and love interest Dale Arden, and scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov to stop Emperor Ming’s insidious plans by any means necessary. The film debuted in 1980 to an uneven reception, but grew a cult fanbase in the decades since.

1980’s Flash Gordon Dropped A Huge Sequel Tease, But It Never Happened

Much To The Dismay Of The Film’s Cult Following

Flash Gordon ends in a spectacular climactic final battle that sees the hero impale Emperor Ming with the pointy nose of his iconic rocket ship, opening the villain up for a final blow. But, rather than surrender to Flash, Ming turns his own power ring against himself and fires, seemingly disintegrating into nothingness. This appears to be the end of Ming at first, but the very final scene of the film sees an unknown figure stepping into frame and picking Ming’s ring up off the ground, the evil emperor’s laugh echoing in the background. This seemed to imply Ming somehow faked his own death in order to escape.

With such an audacious cliffhanger, audiences might be forgiven for eagerly expecting a follow-up. Yet as the years went by, Flash Gordon remained a stand-alone movie, with no sequel materializing to follow up on the eerie tease of Emperor Ming’s escape. While it wouldn’t become a cult hit in the US until it reached home video, the movie overperformed in certain European countries, including Italy, thanks to the appearance of big-name Italian actors like Ornella Muti, who played Princess Aura. It certainly wasn’t a smash hit, but it seemingly should have cleared the bar needed to fund a sequel.

Why Flash Gordon 2 Hasn’t Materialized After 45 Years

There Are Many Factors At Play Keeping Flash Out Of The Big Screen

Flash Gordon has actually been quite close to getting a sequel on many occasions. According to Sam Jones, the actor who played Flash, several sequel script ideas were optioned multiple times by big studios, only to fall through time and time again (Via Zavvi). In recent years, Fox acquired the rights to a sequel with Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: The Secret Service) brought in to direct, finally giving fans hope for a new adventure after decades of waiting. Sadly, after Disney bought out the studio, Vaughn’s project was canceled in favor of an animated one. Now, Disney has doubled back on this decision, announcing a live-action Flash Gordon sequel to be directed by Taika Waiтιтi.

However, the project’s reconfiguration into a live-action movie has now gone four years with essentially no major updates, meaning Taika Waiтιтi’s Flash Gordon movie might simply be the latest in a long line of failed attempts to option the franchise. Perhaps some cultural shifts are to blame for the hero’s inability to sway Hollywood investors, with audiences favoring more grounded characters over campy pulp protagonists. It could also be that a Flash Gordon sequel has simply fallen through too many times for too many rights holders to be considered worth the risk today.