To celebrate the upcoming 40th anniversary of Flash Gordon, one of the most iconic sci-fi/comic-book adaptations in history, we sat down with stars Sam Jones & Melody Anderson – who played Flash Gordon and Dale Arden in the film – to chat about its enduring legacy and why nothing has matched it just yet.

Hoping to have come to the UK to celebrate before COVID-19 lockdown, Anderson says its the fan response and the film’s long-lasting legacy that keeps her excited and says the film was very ahead of its time for many reasons. At the time, many flocked to see Star Wars and Superman: The Movie and its campy, funnier tone may have put some people off but that over time, people have continuously flocked to it for those reasons. She also spoke to us about the difficult shoot, the sadly never-produced sequels, her memories of Max von Sydow and Sam Jones as well as deleted scenes we never saw – but she almost shot.

Directed by Mike Hodges (Get Carter) and produced by Dino De Laurentiis (Dune, King Kong), the film also starred Timothy Dalton, Max von Sydow, Ornella Muti, Brian Blessed, Peter Wyngarde and Richard O. Brien.

You can view the extended exclusive interviews below:

Flash Gordon: 40th Anniversary Restoration opens in select cinemas on July 31st, with the Blu-ray/DVD/UHD/Steelbook/digital release set for August 10th.