Eric Johnson has signed on as the lead in SciFi's upcoming series 'Flash Gordon,' according to Comics Continuum. Still flush from critical praise of their update of 70's series Battlestar Galactica, SciFi is now turning its multifaceted insect eye towards another genre staple. Hence, all American hero Flash Gordon is getting a 21st century makeover, as are his pals Dale Arden and Doctor Hans Zarkov, as "they find themselves as Earth's last line of defense against the forces of the merciless dictator Ming," according to the network. Flash has survived the years as a comic strip, a serial movie hero, and a guy with a Queen soundtrack. This can only be an improvement.

Eric Johnson is best known to genre fans as Whitney Fordham, Lana Lang's ill-fated first beau on Smallville. Here's hoping this role is kinder to him.