We recently found an interview with Safety Not Guaranteed director Colin Trevorrow where he proclaimed to be prepping a movie in a universe we all knew and loved while promising not to make it suck. Which was nice of him. Of course, snagging that in the middle of Episode 7 Fever 2k12 placed him squarely in the rumor bin for the new Star Wars, but he quicklydenied that possibility.
Now, according to Variety, we know what he was talking about. Trevorrow and his writing partner Derek Connolly have been hired by Disney to rewrite a remake of Flight of the Navigator, and Trevorrow may eventually direct it.
The original film came out in 1986 (and is one of my earliest movie memories). It told the story of a 12-year-old boy who disappears, and reappears 8 years later without having aged, and the UFO that crashed nearby definitely had something to do with it. It was a fun coming-of-age story that featured a sort of Mini Pee-Wee’s Playhouse of cool alien creatures (and the ship was voiced by Pee-Wee himself), but it’s the perfect kind of candidate for a remake. Even though it hit at the right time and a lot of kids fell in love with it, Navigator is now a bit dated, and the effects could certainly use a boost.
Mr. Trevorrow, just don’t make it suck.