’80s Sci-Fi Flop Enemy Mine to Be Remade by Star Trek Picard Showrunner

Terry Matalas, the writer and showrunner behind the 12 Monkeys series and seasons two and three of Star Trek: Picard, will use his genre knack to pen a remake of the 1985 sci-fi movie Enemy Mine. The new film from 20th Century Studios is still in the early stages of development and no cast member or director has been announced. But given Matalas’ work in the series led by Patrick Stewart, chances are he will create a sci-fi spectacle with plenty of nods to the ’80s original, which starred Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Matalas was chosen by the head of 20th Century Studios, Steve Asbell, to lead the Enemy Mine reimagining. Asbell hasn’t been the only one impressed by Matalas’ work. Kevin Feige has chosen him as the showrunner for the new series centered on the Marvel character The Vision, which will be released in the future on Disney+.

Enemy Mine

3.5/5

During a war between humans and the reptilian Drac race, spaceship pilot Willis Davidge (Dennis Quaid) ends up stranded on an alien world, along with enemy fighter Jeriba Shigan (Louis Gossett Jr.). While both Willis and his Drac counterpart can breathe on the planet, the environment and its creatures are relatively hostile, forcing the two to work together to survive. As time goes by, Willis and Jeriba become unlikely friends, though their unique relationship faces considerable challenges.

Release Date

December 20, 1985

Runtime

1h 48m

Writers

Edward Khmara

Distributor(s)

20th Century Fox

Expand

What Is Enemy Mine and Is It Worth Remaking?

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, Enemy Mine tells the story of an interstellar warrior called Will Davidge who finds himself in a pickle when his spaceship gets stranded in Fyrine IV, a planet in the middle of nowhere. However, he’s not alone. An alien by the name of Jeriba Shigan, whose race humans are fighting, also gets stranded on the planet. Their contempt for one another is obvious, but soon, they discover they will have to overcome their differences and cooperate with each other if they want to survive.

Related

Star Trek: Picard’s Line Producers Told Terry Matalas: ‘You’re Not Avengers: Endgame’

We could have had a Soji and Data reunion if the finale of Star Trek: Picard was as wild as Matalas initially thought of it.

The sci-fi film was a box office bomb, but it found success overseas in the former Soviet Union, where it became the first American sci-fi film to be screened in theaters as the USSR loosened its restrictions on the influence of Western culture. Which is ironic, because in many ways, Enemy Mine is an allegory about the Cold War.

Enemy Mine was mostly criticized for being a special effects spectacle that didn’t have a compelling story. It dealt with either negative or mediocre reviews at the time, but it has accrued a cult following and critical reappraisal over the years (like many ’80s sci-fi films, including The Thing, Alien Nation, and The Hidden). It’s still early to tell which direction it’ll take, but Star Trek: Picard and 12 Monkeys have already proven Matalas’ skill at reviving sci-fi concepts.