Avast there, me hearties! Buckle that swash, set phasers on stun and set sail for Alpha Centauri, as classic pirate story Captain Blood prepares for a space-set remake. Yes, the Errol Flynn hit of 1935 is being remade as a sci-fi pirate movie, an idea so batshit-crazy that it might just work.
The story of the original saw British Dr Blood (Errol Flynn) convicted of treason and shipped out to the Caribbean as a slave. There, he fell in love with the plantation owner's daughter (Olivia de Havilland) before escaping to a life of piracy. But when the object of his affections is kidnapped by a rival captain (Basil Rathbone) Blood must find a way to win her back. Cue the grappling hooks and rapiers!
The new film will stay faithful to the story, except for the small detail of moving all the action into space (and perhaps replacing the rapiers with a good blaster by your side, we guess).
The film will be directed by Michael and Peter Spierig, who previously wrote and directed the upcoming Daybreakers and 2003's Undead. It's being written by John Brownlow, who did a first draft faithful to the original and is now faced with adding some spaceships and laser beams (or whatever it is the astronauts are using these days).
The film joins a long line of classic stories retold for outer space - think The Black Hole, Battle Beyond The Stars and the like. Let's just hope it's more Forbidden Planet and less Treasure Planet, eh?