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‘Rogue One’ developer working on ‘Last Starfighter’ sequel

New movie would resume the story 30 years later, original director says.
 
Published Sept. 10, 2018

"Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada." Do those words give you chills up your back? Then how about this: A sequel to The Last Starfighter is underway with the help of a story developer from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Nick Castle, who directed the original 1984 movie, revealed in an interview last week that a sequel is in the works – yes, we've heard that before – but this time they're getting help from some high-powered friends.

It seems that original screenwriter Jonathan Betuel is working with Gary Whitta, who developed the story for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

"Hopefully, they'll mount something fun and we'll see our characters again," Castle told the website Bloody Disgusting. (It's a website focused on horror flicks, in case you were curious.) "Hopefully, I'll help out in the background but we'd love to do that. It's so ready. The '80s, of course, are being mined by everything. It's like the last thing that has not gotten remade or had a sequel. I'd love to see that continue on."

The original flick starred Lance Guest as teenager who is recruited to fly an actual starship after getting the high school on an arcade game. Catherine Marie Stewart co-starred as his girlfriend. Original sequel ideas had Guest and Stewart returning in their original roles, this time as parents. The story would take place about 30 to 35 years after the original, Castle said.

The Last Starfighter won fans right from the start with its witty performances and softer touch on the sci-fi genre. Plus, it was one of the first movies of the decade to make use of CGI effects.

(Listen to the Stuck in the '80s podcast on The Last Starfighter.)