Aeon Fluxreboot: Cool!
Aeon Fluxlive-action reboot: Ehhhh.
Let me spin a yarn for the whippersnappers. Back in the 1990s, MTV launched an experimental block of animation programming calledLiquid Television. Part of that wasAeon Flux(styled Æon Flux), a rare – at that time – animated series aimed at adults that included graphic depictions of violence, as well as sex, fetishism and domination. Can you imagine being a kid and stumbling onto this?
Created byPeter Chung(who also worked onRugrats), the lauded and belovedAeon Fluxran for several short seasons of episodes throughout the mid-90s. The story revolves around a secret agent (Aeon Flux), and takes place in the year 7698 after an environmental collapse has wiped out all of the world’s population except for two cities in what was formerly Eastern Europe. One is an anarchist society (from which Aeon hails), the other is a police state led by her nemesis but also sometimes love interest Trevor Goodchild. Dynamics, folks!
Up until 2005, all of the depictions of Aeon Flux were on television (minus one video game). At that time, a live-action movie starringCharlize Theronwas released, which bombed both critically and commercially (Chung has called it “a travesty”). So hey, why not try it again? According toTHR,Teen WolfshowrunnerJeff Daviswill pen the script and executive produce the drama alongsideThe Walking Dead’sGale Anne Hurd, who was a producer on the 2005 film. The story will be “set in a future dystopian state and revolves around a young assassin who teams with a group of biohacking rebels to save humanity as she becomes the hero known as Aeon Flux.”
Reboots and revitalizing old IP is the name of the game these days, so while the development isn’t surprising, what’s disappointing is that the story won’t continue in animated form. Its bold style and memorable graphics (especially that image of eyelashes catching a fly or rubbing up against another eyeball) are things that are impossible to translate into live-action form. Casting will surely be key, but we’ll see how things develop from here, and will keep you updated. For now, let us know your thoughts on the project, and your memories of first discovering the animated series.
