Prometheus Co-Writer Will Reboot Disney’s The Black Hole

By Nick Venable | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

The Black HoleYears before Paul W.S. Anderson jumped the proverbial shark with his mostly stellar second feature, Event Horizon, Disney did the whole “we found a possibly empty ship floating around a black hole in the middle of space” story when they released the aptly titled The Black Hole in 1979, cashing in on the cinematic space adventure craze that Star Wars revolutionized. Well, even though one good turn does not, in fact, always deserve another, one is coming anyway.

Walt Disney Pictures is planning a reboot/remake of The Black Hole, and have signed screenwriter Jon Spaihts to rewrite a screenplay that was first worked on by Travis Beacham, who co-wrote the highly anticipated Pacific Rim with Guillermo Del Toro. Spaihts was also partially responsible for another sci-fi film with ridiculously lofty expectations attached to it: Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Luckily, we know that Damon Lindelof had a lot to do with fucking that up, so perhaps Spaihts’ talent will shine just a little brighter for this project.

Speaking of bright, however, Spaihts was also responsible for the “these bright lights are actually aliens” thriller The Darkest Hour, so we’re keeping our reservations stockpiled on this one.

In case you don’t remember the film, or never saw it, The Black Hole focused on the U.S.S. Palomino, an explorer ship returning to Earth after a fruitless search for life in the cosmos. But then a “lost” ship is found, and the crew must face the threats that develop thereafter. It isn’t the best movie, but it was darker and more serious than most other Disney films that came before or after it. Obviously, it doesn’t need the update, but it isn’t the most heinous example of a reboot we’ve reported on this site. Check out the original trailer below, and imagine how big the computers were that created some of those graphics.