De Laurentiis
In the 1970s, several noted directors attempted to make a film of the story. Federico Fellini optioned the "Flash Gordon" rights from Dino De Laurentiis, but never made the film. George Lucas also attempted to make a "Flash Gordon" film in the 1970s. However, Lucas was unable to acquire the rights from De Laurentiis, so he decided to create "Star Wars" instead. De Laurentiis then hired Nicolas Roeg to make a "Flash Gordon" film. However, De Laurentiis was unhappy with Roeg's ideas, and Roeg left the project. De Laurentiis also discussed hiring Sergio Leone to helm the "Flash Gordon" film; Leone declined because he believed the script was not faithful to the original Raymond comic strips. Finally, De Laurentiis hired Mike Hodges to direct the "Flash Gordon" film.