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‘Babylon 5’ Reboot in the Works at The CW
Original series creator J. Michael Straczynski will pen the script for the update.
The CW is heading to space.
The younger-skewing broadcaster is teaming with original series creator J. Michael Straczynski for a reboot of Babylon 5.
Described as a “from-the-ground-up reboot” of the original, Straczynski will pen the script for a new potential version of the former syndicated drama from Warner Bros. TV. The new take revolves around John Sheridan (originally played by Bruce Boxleitner), an Earthforce officer with a mysterious background, who is assigned to Babylon 5, a five-mile-long space station in neutral space, a port of call for travelers, smugglers, corporate explorers and alien diplomats at a time of uneasy peace and the constant threat of war. His arrival triggers a destiny beyond anything he could have imagined, as an exploratory Earth company accidentally triggers a conflict with a civilization a million years ahead of us, putting Sheridan and the rest of the B5 crew in the line of fire as the last, best hope for the survival of the human race.
From Gizmodo:
Babylon 5 Is Getting Rebooted, With J. Michael Straczynski at the Helm
Variety reports that Warner Bros. has ordered a reboot of Babylon 5, produced and written by Straczynski as part of a deal between Warner Bros. TV and Straczynski’s Studio JMS. The series is not a continuation of the show, but a “from the ground up” reboot of the cult classic 1993 series, which ran across five seasons and seven made-for-TV movies until 1998.
[....] The series was beloved for its dark sci-fi plots and its approach to a massive, intertwined narrative over the course of its seasons and movies [...]
If only we could see the original vision of B5 as it would have been if no actors would have had to leave the show.
The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us. -- Emperor Turhan
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday September 28 2021, @03:57PM (3 children)
B5 is my favorite sci-fi series. It was ground-breaking. Its future was not utopian, but recognizable. But what I came to love about it most was the dynamic between its supporting characters. G'kar and Molari were frenemies of the first order, and the moments of pure hatred, and friendship that passed between them were gems. The unrequited love between Marcus and Ivanova. The redemption of Garibaldi. The scenes with Zathras.
A reboot would beat the original on special effects, but those performances are like catching lightning in a bottle--you might not be able to do it again. JMS's stewardship does give them a much better chance, but can he withstand the prevailing tides in Hollywood to stay true to his own vision? I don't know.
Well, on the bright side, maybe they can cast someone cuter to play Delenn. (Yes, it is shallow.)
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Tuesday September 28 2021, @05:01PM (1 child)
Remember that JMS was also involved in Sense8 which kinda ticked all the diversity boxes, invented some new ones and ticked those too (and I thought the first season was pretty good, until S2 dropped the ball - which also seems to be the prevailing tide these days)
It's pretty well documented that, in the original plan, Delenn was supposed to start out male and change gender at the end of S1 but that was abandoned due to technical problems with voice treatment. In 2021, not casting a trans person in the role would seem careless... Whether that precludes "cute" is up to you.
(Score: 2) by Marand on Tuesday September 28 2021, @10:02PM
Sense8 was a weird one. JMS was involved, yes, but also the Wachowskis, and you could tell which side a lot of the show's influences came from pretty easily. Plus one of the cast was being written as a self-insert Mary Sue character for one of the Wachowski's, which dragged the story down a bit for the first few episodes. Once that character's "let me tell the author's very important story" arc got handled, though, some of the Mary Sue-ness disappeared from the writing and she became a much better character. It felt like a different show almost once past that point.
Still, ignoring the rough start, the overall worldbuilding, lore, fight choreography, and cinematography was amazing for the show. The Wachowskis did what they're good at, making the show a beautiful spectacle with great fights, with JMS doing heavy lifting on the worldbuilding aspect.
The characters were mostly good as well, though some of them felt a little bland at times. Having a cast of 8 protagonists that spend most of the show completely separated is a hard thing to do, and some of their stories kind of fell flat. Not necessarily bad, just not as interesting and felt like they were taking away from the more interesting subplots. All said, though, it was a very good show that was interesting because of, but also hurt by, its unorthodox storytelling.
I'm sad it got canceled abruptly, because the setting it was building up was weird and fun.
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Tuesday September 28 2021, @05:11PM
Agreed, until your last sentence...
Dude... who in the heck are you thinking of that would be "cuter" than Mira Furlan? I get it, eye of the beholder and all, but the last thing I'd use to describe her would be "not cute".
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.