AICN has an insider report from an employee of the production of the new SCI FI program ‘Flash Gordon’.  Here are a few of the big points:

• Just completed shooting episode 4
• A rough cut of the pilot is in the network’s hands
• Eric Johnson (Flash Gordon) and the producers will be at Comicon
• Not as light as ‘Charmed’ but not as dark as ‘Battlestar Galactica’
• Ming is not the ruthless villain (that he should be)…he is more of a benevolent dictator
• “Mongo is a fascinating and terrifying place with a lot of intrigue between the various factions (Cantons), Ming and their dependence upon him for the scarce resource of water (which he controls absolutely).  The art direction for Mongo is somewhere between the Imperial look of “Star Wars” and the more post modern/medieval look of Carl’s dream world in “The Cell”.”

I’m a little hesitant to take it at face value, since it has a “plant” vibe.  If it’s shaping up how this fella says, it sounds like they’re doing a good job, for the most part.

Entertainment Weekly

One surprising note is that, at least for the first few installments…no spaceships.  I think that ‘Flash’ and spaceships seem almost synonymous, but the heroes will depend on a wormhole to move between Earth and the distant planet of Mongo.

From the article:

What about Flash in this series is a departure from the comic?
There’s definitely certain changes. It’s not like we’re portraying Flash in the 1930s. When Flash first came out, he was an internationally renowned polo player, which probably wouldn’t be appropriate now. He’s been football players, and NBA stars, and swimmers I think, so now he’s a marathon winner and just much more of a regular guy.

Head on over to EW to read the full interview.  Thanks to Forever Geek for the heads up.

First up is Gina Holden, who will play the part of Dale Arden, Flash’s love interest in the show.  You may recognize Gina from her roles in Butterfly Effect 2 and Final Destination 3, as well as last years ill-fated drama ‘Reunion’, which was swatted down before it could get started by FOX (I know, that’s a huge shocker).  You can also see her in the upcoming Alien vs. Predator 2.

SCI FI had the following to say about Holden’s audition:

“During auditions and rehearsals, we could tell this one was the right Dale, because [Johnson] had such good chemistry with her…We had to find the right actress to work with him, because there’s jealousy and a love triangle and friendship involved, and we did not want to stick him with an actress he couldn’t stand.”

In other casting news, Jody Racicot will play the role of brilliant scientist/sidekick Dr. Hans Zarkov, and John Ralston as The Merciless Ming.

The show went into production this week with a debut set for August.

New Series’

• Destination Truth - Wednesday, June 6 – 10/9c
• Derren Brown Project (Title TBD) – Wednesday, July 25 – 10/9c
• Flash Gordon – Friday, August 10

Returning Series’

• Ghost Hunters - Wednesday, June 6 – 9/8c
• Doctor Who - Friday, July 6 – 9/8c
• Eureka – Tuesday, July 10
• Who Wants to be a Superhero? – Wednesday, July 25 – 9/8c

I haven’t ever really gotten into SCI FI programming, but I’m really pumped for Flash Gordon, and I hear that Doctor Who is good, too.  Looks like there will be no shortage of stuff to keep us entertained for the summer months ahead.

Today the news comes in from scifi.com that Eric Johnson, best known for his role as Whitney Fordman on Smallville, will take on the title role of Flash Gordon.  The first two episodes, written by Peter Hume and directed by Rick Rosenthal, who also was involved with Smallville, will begin production on May 1.