My wife just SMS'd me this, since I've never had one of those Tweeter things . . .
BABYLON 5 ANIMATED MOVIE coming from Warner Bros. Animation & WB Home Entertainment! Classic B5: raucous, heartfelt, nonstop, a ton of fun through time and space & a love letter to the fans. Movie title, release date and other details coming one week from today.
JMS posts . . .
And just to be clear, this brand new original animated movie is already finished and in the can. So it's 100% real, happening, and coming out very soon.
Not what I imagined or wanted, but I'm not opposed to it. I would very much like to know more about the original story plan before JMS had to use some of his "trap doors" due to cast changes.
What animated movies would you like to see made? Alternatively, are there some stories that you think an animated movie would spoil as far as your are concerned? [JR]
(Score: 3, Informative) by Tork on Friday May 05, @07:33PM (1 child)
Sorry I'm getting too hung up on sets. A recent season of Red Dwarf really smacked me upside the head with strange set-reuse... I would have used that as my original example but I suspect it's not as widely known here to the SN folks. Anyway... I just mean that you can get a good deal more variety with the environments of an animated show and scifi shows in particular can make really good use of them. I really liked Star Trek Prodigy for this reason. BEAUTIFUL show.
I have not personally ever been a big fan of B5 but a modern animated take on it I'd watch no problem. Getting back to my original point I had trouble getting past the dialogue in that show but I think the exact same script but shown in an animated form might be a good deal more palatable for me. I am curious if others feel the same. Real humans spouting dramatic dialogue grates on me... Morpheus in Matrix 2 really stands out in my head... dude could NOT use contractions.
p.s. you might be thinking that you're bound to see more alien-alien life in a show like this, the 3-armed dude in Star Trek TAS comes to mind. But ... and I hate to do this to you guys because I drive my wife crazy with pointing these things out, but many of these shows use Mocap to shorten animation production time so really alien aliens aren't as fast to produce content for. :D
Slashdolt Logic: "25 year old jokes about sharks and lasers are +5, Funny." 💩
(Score: 4, Insightful) by The Vocal Minority on Saturday May 06, @05:30AM
I had no idea that Red Dwarf series were still being made - that is of more interest to me that anything Babylon 5 related. Although to be honest my interest in TV series in general isn't very high. Too many other things to do...
(Score: 1) by squeedles on Friday May 05, @08:12PM (2 children)
Really looking forward to this. Thoroughly enjoyed the original run on TV, but with the mangling that it got on DVD, plus already knowing the big story reveals, I haven't really rewatched much since.
New story is the sweetest treat, plus animation gives enough distance from the mostly deceased original cast that they can re-voice the characters without a jarring transition. Having just finished the excellent Yamato 2199 remake, I can't wait to see what they can do with all of the ships and sets!
(Score: 1) by squeedles on Friday May 05, @08:33PM
Also this article has more background on the project -
https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/3/23708919/babylon-5-secret-project-jms-straczynski [theverge.com]
(Score: 1) by Skwearl on Saturday May 06, @01:20AM
There was a Hmax 1080p remaster that undoes all the crimes of the 720-480p dvd release. If you want to rewatch bab5, I highly recommending seeking that out.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 05, @09:07PM
I really enjoyed B5 back in the day. I'm excited for new material.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday May 05, @09:43PM
Claudia Christian sounded pretty happy about this on her socials. So that suggests it will be awesome.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday May 05, @10:34PM (5 children)
Looking forward to it, but still....
Hoping this sets up a 'revival': the original scripts, done up with a GOOD budget and with knowing hands (sorry, but WB really didn't know how to spend on this) and a good crew (no, i don't want to see the actor of the month in a starring role: get someone who is a good actor, not a looker) and led by JMS given a free hand............................
Please, please, PLEASE!
Either that, or an alternate 'verse B5, or something, mumble mumble.....
Would you prefer to be conscious or unconscious during the mating? (asked Bill Cosby never, lol)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Interesting) by hendrikboom on Saturday May 06, @01:57AM (4 children)
There are already plans for a remake/reboot for the series. It's not yet clear how they will go through, as far as I know. But Straczynski has said that the reboot will not be the same. There are new issues in the world, new audiences with different tastes, and new film-making technologies to use.
But with him in charge, it will probably be at least as good as the original. Maybe better, beause Straczynski has had more experience by now.
This animated film is NOT the remake/reboot.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday May 06, @02:15AM (3 children)
Unfortunately, they keep running the remake/reboot up the flagpole, but it seems the flag keeps burning up before it reaches the top.
There's been talk of it FOREVER. :(
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Saturday May 06, @03:18AM
Kind of like how the Roland Emmerich gang keeps threatening to do movie sequels to the original Stargate every 5-10 years that keep not happening?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Saturday May 06, @01:08PM (1 child)
Yes, it's been talked about for a long time. But the current kafuffle arose because Straczynski himself said that a reboot might be in the works -- shortly before the relevant network changed hands. The last I heard from him about it was that it was postponed, and it wasn't a dead project -- yet.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday May 06, @02:10PM
I know... and I'm hoping....
Keeping fingers, toes and eyes crossed. Here's hoping JMS gets what JMS wants, 'cos I wants too.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Mojibake Tengu on Friday May 05, @11:00PM (3 children)
I am not against such a move but I do not applaud it either.
Frankly, reusing "proven" content is a marker of cultural stagnation or even decadence, it indicates there are no fresh good stories to pick from when business calls for additional money.
I will pass this one.
Oh, and I almost forgot: a neat idea for suggestion to woke activists: Cancel Star Wars!? Too much privileged masculinity over there. And slavery.
The edge of 太玄 cannot be defined, for it is beyond every aspect of design
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PiMuNu on Saturday May 06, @08:16AM
Counterpoint: Western culture has been reusing the plots from Greek tragedies for about 2000 years. (Or if you prefer it, recycling Shakespeare for 500 years)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 06, @06:09PM (1 child)
How enticing would it be to you if they 'freshened" it up, say, with something like a baby Yoda or some cute Ewoks?
Jar Jar FTW! If they can't work a character like him in, I'm not watching.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Saturday May 06, @07:38PM
While Jar-Jar was a very annoying character, who know what they were thinking when they created him -- but I suspect they thought he would bring in lots of or Yoda level toy-merch-money, one probably can't underestimate what Grogu (or Baby-Yoda even tho it's not Yoda) have done for the Mandalorian in terms of pulling in the audience and selling a lot of merch from dolls to toys to shirts to whatever else they can print his cute little green face on. Ewoks while cute and such probably didn't sell to many teddy bears beyond how ever many teddy bears are normally sold. If anything the ol' classic Star Wars Ewok Holiday special probably murdered the sales of them as toys. Best let be forgotten.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 05, @11:20PM (1 child)
Words I'd use to describe the B5 that I remember might be "intentional", "mysterious", and "philosophical".
"Raucous" and "nonstop" are words I'd use to describe disposable action comedies aimed at manchildren with the attention span of a TikTok clip. So this makes me pessimistic as to the quality of the production, even if JMS is involved (who may be contractually obliged not to disparage WB or the show).
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday May 06, @02:22AM
Heartfelt, yes: for G'Kar and his people, and eventually for Londo.
Beyond that; nonstop: the inevitability of war.
Raucous: Londo? Duck Dodgers? ??
I'd say inevitable, like a rolling stone. So many things just seem unavoidable as the future rides towards all of them like the four horsemen. Apocalypse soon and now.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by looorg on Friday May 05, @11:43PM (3 children)
How can it be classic B5? Most of the actors and characters are dead, both as characters and real people. Isn't it only CC and BB that are still alive? So unless it's some massive step back in time that would seem somewhat weird.
That said I think I can enjoy a good animated show/movie. It will probably be a lot better then the planned reboot of B5. Those just never seem to work out or are/get better then the real show.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Saturday May 06, @02:00AM
The so-called reboot will not be the classic B5. I am looking forward to it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 06, @06:33AM
Who needs a voice cast these days? All you need is AI voice replication and permission from the late actors' estates. And it sometimes seems unclear how important the latter is.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Thexalon on Saturday May 06, @12:19PM
Patricia Tallman (who hangs out a lot with CC) and Bill Mumy are still around.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Saturday May 06, @08:19AM (1 child)
I'm probably gonna lose a bootload of geek points, but what's with all the acronyms? I watched the original Babylon 5 20 years ago, I have no idea who the hell JWS and BB are?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 06, @10:39AM
JMS; J Michael Straczynski, the creator
BB; Bruce Boxleitner, played Sheridan
CC; Claudia Christian, played Ivanova
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jman on Saturday May 06, @03:07PM
On the flip side was a very light but long plastic model of a submarine - don't recall from what film - being carted out on someone's shoulder.
So far as an animated movie I'd like to see made, though generally not a fan of sequels, always thought it would be cool to have a remake of Harvey, featuring a six foot tall invisible human in a world of rabbits...
(Score: 3, Funny) by damnbunni on Sunday May 07, @03:05AM (1 child)
Where did they find enough working Amigas to render it on!?
(Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday May 09, @12:32PM
They could borrow a few of mine and I could get a few more and put some PI-storm accelerators in them. That ought to replace what they ran back then, if I recall correctly it was about 20-25ish Amiga 2000 machines in their rendering farm. That isn't a problem. I can supply that by this weekend if you accept a mishmash of machines from A1200 to A4000.