If there is one thing television reboots, revivals, and adaptations all have in common, it’s that they are all far from easy to execute. Any classic that has developed a legion of loyal followers becomes sacred ground to these custodians which often makes any fresh territory a no-go for many creators. That is the exact notion Jeff Davis is acutely aware of going into his reboot of the legendary sci-fi series Æon Flux. The Peter Chung animated epic, which aired on MTV from 1991 until 1995, chronicled the story of a secret agent navigating a dystopian future where the world is in a state of turmoil.
During an interview with Collider’s own Christina Radish, the Teen Wolf mastermind revealed that he set his sights on staying true Chung’s original source material rather than worrying about fan reaction. He shared:
“With any project that’s a reboot or a remake, you can’t worry about what the old fans are gonna think. You have to be true to the source material, in a way that’s true to your own artistic vision. If you come onto a project like that, yes, I know that they are gonna be criticisms. I know that people are gonna be coming for me with pitchforks and saying, ‘That’s not the Æon Flux of my childhood.’ You can’t care. You have to tell the story that you wanna tell. So, that’s what I’m doing with it. I’m a huge fan of the TV show. I loved it, as a kid. So, you’ll see inspiration in it, but you’ll also see changes because it has to become a show that makes sense, and is not just an avant garde, five-minute, beautiful tone piece.”
Davis’ commitment to staying true to his storytelling abilities is likely to be the key in ensuring Æon Flux’s success. The director-producer’s version comes years after a Hollywood live-action remake, which starred Charlize Theron, was released back in 2005. The film opened to poor reception with audiences, earning just 39% on the Rotten Tomatoes audience score rating and attracting criticism for its poor ability to pull from the depth of Chung’s work.
Æon Flux is only one of the reel of projects Davis has lined up with Paramount+. Also on the cards is a long-awaited Teen Wolf: The Movie, the next chapter in his smash hit werewolf TV series, and brand new offering Wolf Pack starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. The story is set during a Californian wildfire which awakens a sea of supernatural beings ultimately leading to a metamorphosis (or two) amongst a group of teenagers. Despite also tapping into werewolf folklore, the show has been clear to separate itself from Davis’ previous offering through a seemingly darker and grittier narrative.
Whilst the move has firmly cemented Davis within the supernatural genre, he admitted that he never imagined making another werewolf saga after six years of pouring his heart into Teen Wolf. During the interview he also shared:
“It’s funny, a lot of people ask the question, ‘Where do you see yourself in 10 years?’ I always answer the same thing, which is that I don’t know what I’m doing six months from now. This business is so fickle and so tumultuous that you never really know. I’ll take whatever is in front of me. I’m really excited about my next Paramount+ project, which is Æon Flux, the adaptation of the MTV anime, and telling a sci-fi story. As much as I love being the werewolf guy, there are other genres to explore. But I do love these stories, as well. After 100 episodes of Teen Wolf, I said, ‘I’m never doing another werewolf story again.’ I was pretty wrong.”
Æon Flux does not yet have a release date. Teen Wolf: The Movie lands on January 25 with Wolf Pack dropping the day after on Paramount+. You can watch the trailer for Wolf Pack below.