On January 12, 2007 at the Television Critics Association tour, it was announced that a live-action Flash Gordon series would comprise 22 one-hour episodes, produced in Canada in early 2007. Under an agreement with King Features Syndicate, the series was produced by Reunion Pictures of Vancouver with Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. of RHI Entertainment serving as Executive Producers. The SyFy Channel premiered its new Flash Gordon series in the United States on August 10, 2007. The characters of Ming, Dale Arden, and Dr. Hans Zarkov were drastically altered. Eric Johnson, best known for his earlier work on the WB's Smallville, played the title character of Steven "Flash" Gordon. Gina Holden (who has appeared in Fantastic Four and Aliens vs. Predator) played Dale Arden, Dr. Hans Zarkov played by Jody Racicot (Night at the Museum), and John Ralston portrayed the arch-villain, Ming.
In this version of the series, Flash's actual name is "Steven Gordon", with "Flash" being a nickname. The series enjoyed limited success, but did not resonate with fans. Some speculate that the story had been so drastically changed that it was not a version of Flash Gordon that was recognizable to fans. Advertisements featured a cover version of Queen's "Flash's Theme" performed by the band Louis XIV. The song was not present in any episode of the show, however. The show was canceled officially in early 2008.
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