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Matt Smith signs 5-year deal

There is a lot of negativity there. I really just lurk and rarely post there.

As for the length of the deal, yes, it makes sense. Lock him up now for a good term. if he's great, you've got a deal. If not, it's cheap and can indeed be gotten out of.
 
There is a lot of negativity there. I really just lurk and rarely post there.

As for the length of the deal, yes, it makes sense. Lock him up now for a good term. if he's great, you've got a deal. If not, it's cheap and can indeed be gotten out of.

My thoughts exactly. I do wonder what they would do if he bombed, though. Would they get rid of him right away or try and fix it?
 
I couldn't even begin to guess on that.

If it were me I'd lean towards killing him off and starting fresh with a new Doctor. Once a show starts bombing, for whatever reason, it's pretty hard to fix and it could possibly make things worse by trying to fix it than just starting fresh.

I certainly hope he doesn't though even if my initial reaction to his casting was "Meh". With NuWho, I loved Eccleston from the first, Tennant grew on me after a while and we'll just have to see about Smith.
 
Keep in mind that over at the BBC, it takes 2-3 years to produce a single season.
 
I couldn't even begin to guess on that.

If it were me I'd lean towards killing him off and starting fresh with a new Doctor. Once a show starts bombing, for whatever reason, it's pretty hard to fix and it could possibly make things worse by trying to fix it than just starting fresh.

I certainly hope he doesn't though even if my initial reaction to his casting was "Meh". With NuWho, I loved Eccleston from the first, Tennant grew on me after a while and we'll just have to see about Smith.

I doubt they'd get rid straight away, they might try and bring in a super new ultra popular companion first. Can't see it happening anyway, I think smith will be good.
 
I think Matt Smith will probably do fine.

But if fan reaction is super negative they could go with a big character overall between seasons five and season six in the way that Sylvester McCoy's Doctor changed from his first season to second.

Or we could have another Trial of a Timelord.

Or we could simply bring in Doctor 10.5 as his companion.
 
I can't see him bombing for a second. At the very worst, he'll just be "servicable", but then the writing would pick up the slack anyway.
 
Well assuming this is true, I'm just happy to hear the new Who is going to be around another 5 years period. Regardless of who the Doctor is.
It doesn't mean that at all. Smith being signed to a five year deal (or a 3-year deal with a 2-year option) doesn't mean that Doctor Who will be around for the next five years. All it means is that if the series is around for the next five years, Smith is contracted to star during that period. It's all about locking down the talent, not about the BBC's expectation for the series' longevity.

The Star Trek leads since 1987 were all signed for at least six years. The TNG cast was actually under contract for an eighth season, which didn't happen obviously. Apparently, long-term contracts like this are virtually unknown in the UK, but this is Standard Operating Procedure in Hollywood.
 
5 years? That would make him 31 or 32.

Isn't that a bit old to be playing Doctor Who?

;)
 
It doesn't mean that at all. Smith being signed to a five year deal (or a 3-year deal with a 2-year option) doesn't mean that Doctor Who will be around for the next five years. All it means is that if the series is around for the next five years, Smith is contracted to star during that period. It's all about locking down the talent, not about the BBC's expectation for the series' longevity.

The Star Trek leads since 1987 were all signed for at least six years. The TNG cast was actually under contract for an eighth season, which didn't happen obviously. Apparently, long-term contracts like this are virtually unknown in the UK, but this is Standard Operating Procedure in Hollywood.

Yeah I realize it's not a guarantee or anything. But it still signals that the BBC likes how the show is performing and wants it to continue for a lot longer. Before, I wasn't certain if this was supposed to be an official restart of the series, or if it was just a short-lived thing by RTD and company (kind of like Ronald Moore's BSG, where once he's done, the show is done).
 
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