JMS teases Babylon 5 feature film at Comic-Con

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Candlelight, Jul 27, 2014.

  1. Candlelight

    Candlelight Admiral Admiral

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    I don't have a link. I'm just reporting what Jan said on Facebook. :)

    I know fans will throw shit at me for saying this but I hope it's completely recast. I'd prefer a reboot as I doubt the surviving cast could carry a movie.

    But on the flipside I'd love to be surprised.
     
  2. Takeru

    Takeru Space Police Commodore

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    I doubt this will happen, Babylon 5 is not that popular or even well known and quite frankly, almost every filmed Babylon 5 stuff outside of the main series was crap, even the parts of the series not dealing with the shadow war and earth civil war were kinda boring. I'm not even sure I want a new movie at this point.

    If it happens it will be a low budget movie anyway, why bother?
     
  3. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Low budget movies can be good.
     
  4. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    ^^ I thought Crusade was very good.

    However, I, too, will believe this when I see it.

    If it's made, I hope it's a continuation or spin off, and I hope it involves surviving characters from both B5 and Crusade. Not only do I dislike reboots, remakes, and re-imaginings, but you can't really re-tell the B5 story in one movie; or even a trilogy.
     
  5. Candlelight

    Candlelight Admiral Admiral

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    That would never be the point of it. JMS would still continue the story that Babylon 5 "is World War Two" and any movie that takes place would simply be "a battle/campaign/mission" in that timeline.
     
  6. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Its going to be about how the maverick design team who spent 5 years producing and building the first Star Furies.
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2014
  7. Reverend

    Reverend Admiral Admiral

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    I've always been a bit iffy on the idea of a B5 movie. TO me the main appeal of the franchise has been the ensemble cast and the long form story telling. Not the kind of things that tend to translate well into film.

    I'm honestly on the fence as to whether I'd prefer a continuation of the show or a total reboot and recasting (with maybe a few old faces recast in new parts.) On the one had you'd have a hard time continuing what came before and making a movie that's accessible to new fans. If you reboot...well who knows, but it'll never be the same. I'm just not sure if that's even a bad thing.

    As to whether it'll get made or not...well we've been down this old road before many a time. From what I gather so far all he's said is that he's writing a script and intends to get it made with ot without WB. What happens after that all depends whether they can get adequate funding or not.

    I hate to sound so syndical but, well....

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Remember Passion of the Christ?

    2 hours. One continuous shot following the desecration, mutilation and eventual destruction of William Morgan Clark's corpse.
     
  9. Saga

    Saga Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    i'll believe it when i see a trailer. we've been teased with a B5 film for what, over fourteen years?
     
  10. Ensign_Redshirt

    Ensign_Redshirt Commodore Commodore

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    Not gonna happen and if it were to happen it would probably suck. JMS should give it a rest. B5 was over by 1999 and Legend of the Rangers and The Lost Tales were already two spin-off attempts too many IMO.

    We should be thankful for what we have... five years of - for the most part - exceptional and groundbreaking storytelling in television. And that's it.
     
  11. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    JMS is Still on good terms with Martin Sheen and Martin's rolodex?

    Do a dramatic gritty political drama about a change over in the Drazi Government.

    Call it "The Purple Wing".
     
  12. Neroon

    Neroon Mod of Balance Moderator

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    JMS has gone on the record as saying he won't do anything B5-oriented unless it's been given a proper budget, and frankly... I'm grateful for that. B5 material outside the series was a mixed bag at best, but some of it had real strength. There are definite story options here.

    Plus Jan Schroeder was at the SDCC panel recording the news, so I believe what 's been posted. Trust me.. I am only cautiously optimistic at best about the prospects here... but it's encouraging. still
     
  13. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    What about go down to the detritus of earth Culture to find that all the former ISN reporters from during Clark's reign are now commenting on, or competing in bum fights... Wouldn't you pay good money to see Dan Randall get his ass handed to him?
     
  14. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I've seen Babylon 5 Lost Tales recently and couldn't make it to the end. It was so incredibly boring and everything felt to extremely cheap.
     
  15. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    A mockumentary with a Kardashianesque style film crew following Vir's wife Lydisty around, setting buildings on fire whenever someone pisses her off.

    16 years in the future, where unstuck in time Sheridan landed on Centauri Prime in ruins and on Fire, that was not the aftermath of the Shadow War and that was not the Drakh, that was Lyndisty partying like it was 2299.
     
  16. shivkala

    shivkala Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Green Wing! Green Wing!
     
  17. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Purple Wing!

    ...

    I'm not sure what the plot is, but it's got 12 principle characters all played by Wayne Alexander simultaneously.
     
  18. RandyS

    RandyS Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'm on the fence here. Outside of a movie showcasing Clark and focusing on why he did what he did (The series biggest missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned. They could have shown this in a one-off episode like that stupid Psi-Cop episode. Why they didn't is beyond me.), I really don't see the point. With the exception of In the Beginning Babylon 5 has a horrible track record with revivals. That, plus the cast dropping like flies, it's best to just leave well enough alone.

    On the other hand, I love Babylon 5 so much that I'd most liklely watch any new revival at least once.
     
  19. kirk55555

    kirk55555 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'll stay hopeful for this. I'd like to see more B5. I'd want to see the surviving cast, though. No more reboots, I'm beyond tired of them and I don't see it working out in one movie, especially one that (even if it gets made)has no guarantee of a sequel. I think there are enough living cast members left, especially if you include Crusade, that could make a movie work. I don't know if we'll ever end up seeing this actually get made, but I'd like to see it.
     
  20. Jan

    Jan Commodore Commodore

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    Pardon the repost of what I just put in the #FreeBabylon 5 thread but here's the full report from JMS' panel yesterday:
    Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con (or the day JMS announced that he'll do a B5 movie).

    I got there at a good time, not long after the con opened at 10:00 AM. A little surprisingly, the mezzanine didb't really seem too much busier than other days so far except for the food area being busier. I've got pre-written letters to WB and NBC/Universal out on the table and a fair number of folks took those to mail after adding a little demographic info. Five or six were left with me and I dropped them off to be mailed.

    The big panel of the day was JMS' of course. First I went to his signing and got a few things signed that will most likely be destined as fund-raisers. I verified with JMS that he wouldn't mind if I handed out buttons and postcards before his panel. A new friend, Lukas, handed out at the door and I wandered the room where people were already staying from the panel before.

    JMS started the panel by reviewing his current projects, both 'out house' (not Studio JMS) and in-house and continued with news. We got an introduction to the Sense8 actors. JMS described it as a "...complex, amazing tapestry of stories."
    - Ten Grand: JMS is currently negotiating with a major Studio/Network for a series based on this.
    - Shadowman feature film: He's two to three weeks from turning in the latest draft.
    - He couldn't name it, but he's working on a project for Universal concerning Rod Serling and working with Carol Serling, Rod's widow on it.
    - Again he couldn't say much but he sshowed a title card for a show called "Two Streets" that he's just made a deal with Universal for that he'll be working with "Walking Dead's" Gail Anne Hurd.
    - "Titans" is the name of the Ffeature film/graphic novel project that was just announced yesterday (see movie thread).

    So it's been a really big year for Studio JMS. And due to that, he can now look to doing a feature film ffor B5. JMS recapped that WB owns everything about B5 except the movie rights and even though he holds the film rights, to take a B5 movie to another studio without holding the TV rights wouldn't work. There's one studio in LA that doesn't care about that - Studio JMS - and in 2015 JMS will write the script. He'll give WB the opportunity to step up, but if they don't, Studio JMS will make it in 2016 on thier own with a $1-200,000,000.00 budget.

    Fan questios:
    A fan asked if JMS might crowdfund part of the film so that fans might be involved and JMS said that he resists doing that because it seems to him that SF fans are an exploited group and he doesn't ever want to do that - he'd rather accept investor money.

    Asked about the current situation with streaming Babylon 5, JMS said that it's all up to Warner Bros. and geve the #FreeBabylon5 campaign a nice plug, telling of the success in Europe to date and hoping for some movement domestically.

    A fan asked if the success of a B5 feature might improve the chances of streaming and even future TV projects and JMS said that it would probably have a significant effect, that a good way to get someone's (WB) attention is to rattle their cage.

    Asked if the film would be a reboot or a continuation:
    "It would have to be a reboot because it's been twenty-plus years since we started that show and some of the age ranges wouldn't work with some of these characters so we'd need to move a few people around. But what I want to do is use the original cast one way or another but we'd have to move some things around. I'd love to see Bruce as the PPresident of the Earth Alliance; it would be the perfect role for him."

    JMS went on to tell about a story he wanted to do that he wasn't allowed to in the original show where when Londo was injured, he wanted to do a dream sequence where the actors played different characters but the studio thought the audience would get confused.

    A fan asked what's being made not that would equal BB5 for being transformative and JMS replied that TV is having a golden age right now with lots of amazing things. being made.

    He concluded with his regular homily for the fans to never surrender their dreams, that with persistance and talent and luck, can overcome your circumstances and follow your passionss and succeed.

    Jan
    (posting in various places- feel free to share)