Gale Anne Hurd is producing the upcoming Aeon Flux reboot
By Nir Regev
The Walking Dead’s Gale Anne Hurd will be the Executive Producer on the new live-action Aeon Flux reboot due to arrive on MTV.
MTV’s original badass heroine Aeon Flux is about to make a comeback for a whole new generation who missed out on the network’s golden age. Gale Anne Hurd who was the Executive Producer on 2005’s Aeon Flux film starring Charlize Theron as Flux, is returning for the live-action television series according to The Hollywood Reporter. Joining Hurd will be Teen Wolf writer and showrunner Jeff Davis, who rebooted 1985’s original film iteration of Teen Wolf. Davis is set to pen the script along with also being an Executive Producer on the project.
A monumental task will be ahead for the pair, as the 2005 film’s looser grip on the source material caused an original fan backlash. The film captured vital visual details like the attention to eyes, lips, tongue made famous in the animation. From the legendary opening of fly being caught in Flux’s eye, to Flux ripping an earring off an enemy with her tongue, to a makeout leading to a pill being exchanged. It’s foregoing strictly following the animation’s narrative vision to appeal to a more mainstream audience that left both sides divided.
Theron once commented that “We f***** it all up” in an Express.co.uk interview. Creator Peter Chung once spoke in a 2006 interview of disliking the script prior to the 2005 film’s release due to its presentation of Aeon and Trevor Goodchild’s relationship among other narrative changes. The risqué, iconic Aeon Flux series has always prided itself on being unconventional and happy to experiment. In creator Peter Chung’s own words:
"I’m not naive about the realities of making unconventional films in the arena of “mass entertainment”. It’s possible to make good unconventional films; it’s also very hard. In any case, if you’re going to risk failure, I say do it boldly, with conviction. The problem with the movie is its failure of nerve."
Very few franchises get a second chance to amend and atone for past misgivings to fans but now Aeon Flux becomes one of the rare few. It’s time to get creator Peter Chung’s input, advisement at the least. He’ll always know how the universe is meant to be portrayed better than anyone, its his vision and life’s work.
Gale Anne Hurd has no doubt has heard criticisms while looking at what worked in the cinema edition. She’s always been the type to take chances, to give franchises a second life. The queen of dystopia following sci-fi if you will. From The Walking Dead to Fear the Walking Dead to now Aeon Flux, today’s audience can’t get enough of dystopian shaped worlds. There’s a reason Blade Runner finally received a sequel last year.
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Many years have passed now since the film’s release and even more since the original animation it’s based on. This is a time to reestablish what Aeon Flux is all about to an entirely new generation that might have never heard of it before. There’s never been a more perfect time for Aeon Flux on MTV, TV needs its original female lead back on the air. Bring back the rebellious punk attitude that attracted audiences to MTV in the first place. You can’t teach cool. You either got it like Aeon Flux or you don’t.