WELCOME PEST

Kids who haven’t caught “The Fly” on the tube can get a glimpse of it in “Lucas,” opening Friday.

“Lucas” is a coming-of-age love story about a preteen bug fanatic who falls for an “older” (teen-age) girl. Their courtship includes a movie date where they watch the original “The Fly,” which, like “Lucas,” was made by 20th Century Fox.

Fox--which also happens to be releasing its remake of “The Fly” this summer--calls this convenient coincidence in “Lucas” a “happy accident.”

“I chose ‘The Fly’ scene without knowing Fox had any plans to remake it,” said “Lucas” writer/director David Seltzer. “There’s a theme of locusts and insects running through ‘Lucas,’ and ‘The Fly’ seemed to be the perfect film for the kids to go see on a Saturday night (the scene in “Lucas”). Anyway, I couldn’t think of any others with bugs.”