Aeon Flux Live-Action TV Show Is In Development At Paramount

The live-action "Aeon Flux" TV series just won't die. Way back in 2018, we confirmed that "Teen Wolf" director Jeff Davis would be bringing "Aeon Flux" back from the dead with the help of the company that birthed it, MTV, but then everything went quiet on the "Aeon Flux" front. Now, a casual three years later, Davis has struck a deal with Paramount+ to get the surreal sci-fi series up and running again. 

Is this a pet project for Davis? Was he a big fan of the original animated series that debuted on MTV in the 90s? Has he been biding his time for years, waiting for everyone to forget about the 2005 live-action film flop, so he could get his own chance to take on the story? We may never know, but we do know that Davis will be involved enough in the show that he plans to direct the pilot and will serve as the series showrunner.

The big question now that a new "Aeon Flux" is back on the table, is will it hew closer to the animated series or will it be dogged by the same problems that made the live-action movie feel so forgettable? Both stories take place in a dystopian world where 99% of the world's population has been wiped off the face of the earth and both follow the scantily clad assassin/spy named Aeon Flux, but that's where the similarities end. The animated show was built around the innovative and avant-garde style of animator Peter Chung, who prioritized the punk sci-fi style he created above all else and reveled in the ambiguity of the show's plotlines and characters.

The film, which was directed by Karyn Kusama, wasn't able to translate Chung's surreal sci-fi story to the big screen. Besides missing out on the distinct animation style that attracted people to "Aeon Flux" in the first place, the film came off as "pretentious" instead of philosophical and the visuals made it look more like a mid-aughts video game, which makes the movie look even worse when considering it with our highly calibrated 2021 eyes. Despite the issues, you have to admit the costumes still kind of rule, including Charlize Theron's (who plays the titular Aeon) "Matrix"-y catsuit.

Although you can't deny that "Aeon Flux" fans have been hurt before, maybe Davis will surprise us. His success with "Teen Wolf" doesn't count for nothing, even if the paranormal teen drama is a far cry from the dystopian Gnostic nightmare of the world of "Aeon Flux."