Cult Classic ’80s Sci-Fi Film Could Still Get a Sequel (but There’s One Problem)

The last attempt to make a sequel to The Last Starfighter is still underway, but it faces an enemy more powerful than Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada: intellectual property rights law. Just this weekend, director Nick Castle updated fans on his efforts to produce a long-awaited sequel to this 1984 sci-fi classic at the Indiana Comic Convention. Like many of the other attempts over the years, Castle said his current project is up against a complex web of legal technicalities, with the rights to The Last Starfighter broken up and dispersed among various entities. There’s still hope, but it’s growing slim.

The Last Starfighter debuted in 1984 and became an instant cult classic. In fandom circles, it became even more coveted over the years as copies of the movie became harder to track down. Its original studio, Lorimar, went under, and the rights to the movie were scattered to various entities in the process. Lorimar was absorbed by Warner Bros. eventually, but that studio has only a part of the copyright necessary to greenlight a sequel.

The previous attempt at a sequel stalled in 2022, according to original screenwriter Jonathan R. Betuel. At the time, he told his followers on X that he didn’t think a sequel would every really happen, despite years of effort from him and his team. However, this weekend Castle told fans that he is still fighting the good fight, and Betuel is still there alongside him.

According to a report by Slash Film, Castle told the crowd that he and Betuel were vehemently against a reboot or remake of The Last Starfighter, feeling that the magic of the original had to stay intact. With that in mind, they were focusing on a belated sequel where the same amount of time had passed in that world as has in ours — just over four decades. Castle spoke animatedly about the script, explaining that it will thread the needle of appealing to new fans while pleasing long-time fans of the original as well. Castle hopes the sequel will stand on its own, with connections to the original serving like optional Easter eggs.

It’s unclear if Betuel started from scratch on this new iteration. He had previously been working with Gary Whitta, one of the co-writers of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Their script was reportedly called The Last Starfighters, and was about Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) passing the torch to the next generation of galactic defenders, including his own offspring.

For now, fans can only cross their fingers and voice their support if they’re still hoping for this sequel 40 years in the making. The Last Starfighter is available to rent or purchase on PVOD stores including Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube, but it is not on any subscription-based streamers at the time of this writing.