Babylon 5- The Lost Tales *SPOILERS*

[NotSoWize]

I can't wait! Well, I guess I can wait, what choice do I really have?

At this point, we are still expecting a direct to DVD release, correct? There hasn't been any new mention of a network airing B5:TLT since JMS original talk in San Diego has there?

[Jan]

Not that I've seen, NotSoWize.

Jan

[Joseph DeMartino]

They're looking to shoot in November and release the DVDs in 2nd Quarter 2007. (Between the U.S. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years they aren't going to be working non-stop between late November and early January, either.) The first batch will probably require more time in post production than later ones, since they'll basically be reinventing the B5 wheel - recreating many models and other elements, and doing it all in HD for the first time.

And this isn't, at this point, exactly a conventional series. It wouldn't be a weekly show, more like a series of TV movies that air a few times a year, like Columbo in its later years. So any TV network or cable channel that is even interested at this point might be inclined to wait until they can see the finished product. It isn't like the usual pilot film where it doesn't get made unless the TV partner comes up with some of the money and promises a timeslot.

I doubt we'll hear about anyone airing the show until sometime next year, because there's really no compelling reason for a network or cable channel to commit at this point.

Regards,

Joe

[vacantlook]

As long as it comes out on DVD, I'm good. I seriously don't mind paying for DVDs of shows that I really like. And B5 is at the top of my list.

[wrrlykam]

I wonder how long it will before a UK DVD release. I hope it will not be too long a wait.

[Jan]

Since it's direct to DVD, would there be any reason to stagger releases in the different regions? I think that the region coding was supposed to protect theaters, wasn't it? Joe DeM? What do you think?

Jan

[Joseph DeMartino]

Since it's direct to DVD, would there be any reason to stagger releases in the different regions? I think that the region coding was supposed to protect theaters, wasn't it? Joe DeM? What do you think?

Jan

Well, that and conforming to the studio's existing video distribution deals. Individual film and TV projects can differ, not so much by region, but by individual country. Even within Region 1, where the studios are mostly able to avoid double inventory by producing one disc (with a French language track and/or subtitles) that can be sold in both the U.S. and Canada, there are some cases where one company will release an American version of a film while a different one does the Canandian release, or where the same company releases two versions with different content. There is really no such thing as "The Region 2 release" of a project. There is instead the U.K. release, the German release, etc. Titanic was a Paramount DVD in the U.S., but released by Fox in most of the rest of the world. In this case each WB unit in each country will decide, based on its own sales and other criteria, whether or not to release the TLT disc in its own territory.

Regards,

Joe

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Since it's direct to DVD, would there be any reason to stagger releases in the different regions? I think that the region coding was supposed to protect theaters, wasn't it? Joe DeM? What do you think?

Jan

Ooh..that's a really good point. Might be some good speculative news for the overseas crowd.


Jon

[Garibaldi's Hair]

In this case each WB unit in each country will decide, based on its own sales and other criteria, whether or not to release the TLT disc in its own territory.

And in this case, given the ever-lengthening gaps between the US and UK releases of the season DVD sets, I am not encouraged that we will see WHVUK pulling its finger out and giving TLT a speedy release over here.

Problem is, I have a mutli-region player, so I can buy and watch the R1 version quite happily, but that doesn't help the UK sales figures thus making my decision to do that counter-productive in terms of encouraging WHVUK to pull their finger out.

Ahh, the joy of the Vicious Circle.

[Jan]

Excellent news from JMS:

Title: Further B5:TLT update from jms
Author: [email protected]
Date: 12 Oct 2006 01:02:13 -0700
Message-ID: <[email protected] .com>

Just a quick follow-up...I'm in Vancouver (coming back in 24 hours)
finishing up a round of final staff interviews for B5:TLT. Thus far,
we've hired two other producers, a script supervisor, a post
supervisor, the editor, a production manager, a conceptual
artist/storyboard guy, an art director/production designer, a first
assistant director, and closed several cast deals, with the rest
probably to be closed next week, at which time I may be able to say who
they are. Pending final negotiations, Chris Franke has agreed to come
on board to do the music. We're interviewing CGI houses up here to
decide which to go with. The three scripts have been completed, and
are now being storyboarded. We've narrowed down the director of
photography options to just a few last guys, and should have that
decided by week's end. We've also locked down the stage and have
started putting together our package (camera, lights, grip and
electrics).

By this time next week, about 80% of our crew will be in hand, the rest
coming aboard during the start of prep.

jms

message content (c) 2006
synthetic worlds, ltd.
permission to reprint
specifically denied to
SFX Magazine

YAY!! Christopher Franke is doing the music!!!

Jan

[phazedout]

Indeed, I'm munching my way through thr script books at the moment and have read volumes 2,3,4 anf 5 in the past week and am now on to volume 6. He mentions the sheer amont of music that Chris produced. I've always felt that you don't notice good music, it simply adds to the atmosphere and bypasses your conscious mind and goes straight fo rthe gut.
Ah well, back to Fodor, Karlimoff smith and modlues versus modulirisation.
Phaze
on the "1 week to go until exam, getting nervous" ID

[Whyruss]

Puhhhh - I feel so relieved that Christopher Franke is doing the music! Without him it wouldn't be the same universe ^^

[quicksilver]

An average fan

It's been a long while since I visited this board and I'm delighted to hear about B5-TLT. I'll be buying the DVDs of course, but the possibility of them airing on TV is extra exciting because it opens a way to introducing new people to the B5 universe.

Hope JMS changes his mind and decides to bring back the characters of Dr Franklin and G'Kar. If these are the LOST tales then the characters could be younger and in the case of G'Kar make-up could obscure any facial differences. Why would I want this ? Because G'Kar was such a philosophical fount of wisdom yet had a nifty sense of humor. I also wanted to see what happened on his travels AFTER he left the station but dealing with his journey before his arrival on B5 would be great as well.

[Jan]

Hi, Quicksilver, welcome back.

I really wouldn't hold out any hope that JMS will change his mind about recasting. It was obvious when he was asked at the Charlotte convention about even the possibility of seeing the Lyta/G'Kar adventures in print that he'd lost not only his friend the actor, the character was gone, too.

Jan

[Joseph DeMartino]

Hope JMS changes his mind and decides to bring back the characters of Dr Franklin and G'Kar.

I think JMS is doing the right thing and absolutely support his decision. To have new actors mixed in with the original cast would not work on a number of levels, and - as he has said repeatedly - he cannot write those characters now. Emotionally he is not capable of doing so. They were too bound up his own mind with the actors (who were his friends) for him to "turn their voices on in his head" again. He couldn't even face the task of writing around them when Warner Bros. offered him a feature film - which is the main reason we're getting The Lost Tales in the first place - the new anthology was JMS's suggested alternative to the feature film he wasn't ready to tackle yet.

And Andreas's G'Kar was so much more than make-up that I simply cannot envision any actor embodying that role again. As JMS will be the first to tell you it wasn't just his words that made the character. As with all the roles the words formed the basis of the performance, but as the show progressed the performances began to shape the words that were written for each character. Real-life qualities of the actors were written into their characters, and as the show progressed the distance between the two narrowed.

There will never be "another" G'Kar. There will never be "another" Franklin. Not while JMS has any say in the matter. And I think most fans will agree that that is as it should be.

"Here was a Caesar. When comes such another?"

Regards,

Joe