There are some movies that define childhood. For kids growing up in the 1980s, it could be a John Hughes film, THE GOONIES, or any number of other memorable films. For me, one movie that always brings back memories of being a kid is THE LAST STARFIGHTER. As one of the early films to use CGI, the 1984 scifi film about a teen recruited to join an intergalactic space force based on his video game skills was fuel for countless daydreams and games played with friends. Now, THE LAST STARFIGHTER is coming back, albeit in a spin-off style reboot.
Variety reports that THE LAST STARFIGHTER screenwriter Jonathan Betuel is developing a TV series titled The Starfighter Chronicles which will not follow the movie's plot but will instead focus on "alien law enforcement". Betuel is also working on specialized elements of the show that will make it the first television series to incorporate virtual reality.
Working with Surreal.tv, Betuel is exploring the feasibility of building content explorable by viewers equipped with VR headsets. It is not mentioned if these headsets will be of the expensive Oculus Rift variety or potentially something more easily affordable like Google Cardboard. In either case, the concept of virtual reality being integrated into a narrative work is unexplored territory and could give The Starfighter Chronicles a unique boost for prospective networks.
My only caveat is that the gimmick, as cool as it sounds, be secondary to making a cool story. THE LAST STARFIGHTER is not the greatest movie ever made but it does kick-off a glimpse at a fictional universe I have always wanted to see more of. Stay tuned for more as this project develops.
