NEW Babylon 5 Series in Development!

[Jan]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/babylon-5-reboot-cw-1235021237/

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.

[Ubik]

I just saw this. Exciting, but my main concern is The CW as home, their shows tend to be kinda vapid and cheaply produced. I'm struggling to find a 'good' CW show.

[nottenst]

They have had mixed success with their DC comic book based shows on the CW. Some shows have had some really good runs of episodes. Black Lightning probably was the most consistent. The new 4400 series might be good.

[babylonlurker]

With JMS at the helm I am NOT worried, more like excited to see what he will do.
The only trouble could be studio interference.

[AstroBoy]

So many questions about this.... With Joe in charge I'm not too worried about the direction. CW tends to sign a show for multiple years/seasons so between that and Joe's credibility and clout I'm guessing a 5 year deal was inked for this. I can't see Joe wanting to do this again with the sword of Damocles hanging over his head every year.

I also don't expect him to write nearly every script this time. He's no spring chicken anymore. There were a lot of concepts and ideas that never saw the light of day in the original run. I expect them to come into play this time.

My expectation is a different jumping off point (exploratory Earth company accidentally triggers a conflict with a civilization a million years ahead of us,) instead of attempted assassination of an ambassador. A slightly different route to a similar destination. Of course Joe could go with his original concept and just use Sheridan rather than Sinclair and then we get Babylon Prime as well.

Who knows, this could lead to a revival of Crusade as well.

[Jan]

A little bit more detail in this Twitter thread:

https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/1442621159221043202

[sftv]

I was hoping Joe would post some more details soonish, and he did just that. So, how do we document things this time? Going to see if I can get some stuff updated on the site I've made a few attempts at doing stuff on previously. http://www.azsf.net/b520/ First thing is to post the current information, update links (any suggests from folks here would be appreciated) and probably a B5 FAQL Mark II. But, I would love to see some new fans getting involved with doing the documenting and such.

[Looney]

What is everyone talking about?!?!?!?!?!?! .................................................. .


HAHAHAHA WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Looney chooses to enjoy the moment. We have sooooooooo much time to speculate, debate, and prepare. I just want to PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ???

[Quarxius]

Coming out of lurk mode to express the multitude of emotions ranging from apprehension to elation that this announcement has ignited in the most succinct way I know how:

Faith manages.

That is all. I shall now fade back into the shadows.

[LateArrival]

A little bit more detail in this Twitter thread:

https://twitter.com/straczynski/stat...21159221043202

Amazing news. He hits every mark and am lost in the possibilities. Back when dial up was king, JMS was interacting 1-on-1 with the public. Back when models were state of the art, JMS used CGI to give views one couldn't get with models and made SF shows possible without bankrupting studios. Amazing soundtracks. The concept of an ongoing story-line rather than episode-of-the-week. An environment where cast/crew could actually communicate with the showrunners. Foreshadowing (pun alert) of major plot points going forward while making sure new viewers didn't miss anything looking back. And of course the strange concept that people Of The Future will be similar to people today, with the same motivations and drives that have been around since someone started Banging Rocks Together.

Am wondering what to expect in 2021. Should we be anticipating/expecting more innovations, or just be happy with The Next Great Story? While JMS has added/improved "the tools in his toolbox" since the 90s, the Suits have also evolved more creative ways to strangle and ruin productions. ....and.... New B5 Quotes!!!!


THE Question: This time around, will anyone Listen to Zathras? Even Zathras warned Zathras, but no one listens to Zathras...

...and on reflection. Even if it follows the previous Five Year Arc and we already "know what it is coming", the trick as before will still be How Will We Get There? Will this be Londo's Story again, or another perspective entirely? So many questions!

[Dodger]

This is great news...

[Jan]

Bringing this over from Facebook as it's much easier to read.

J. Michael Straczynski - Hang with JMS

To answer all the questions, yes, it’s true, Babylon 5 is now in active development as a series for the CW. We have some serious fans over at the network, and they’re eager to see this show happen. I’m hip deep into writing the pilot now, and will be running the series upon pickup. The network understands the uniqueness of Babylon 5 and is giving me a great deal of latitude with the storytelling.

As noted in the announcement, this is a reboot from the ground up rather than a continuation, for several reasons. Heraclitus wrote, “You cannot step in the same river twice, for the river has changed, and you have changed.” In the years since B5, I’ve done a ton of other TV shows and movies, adding an equal number of tools to my toolbox, all of which I can bring to bear on the question: if I were creating Babylon 5 today, for the first time, knowing what I now know as a writer, what would it look like? How would it use all the storytelling tools and technological resources available in 2021 that were not on hand then? How can it be used to reflect the world in which we live, and the questions we are asking and confronting every day? Fans regularly point out how prescient the show was and is of our current world; it would be fun to take a shot at looking further down the road.

So we will not be retelling the same story in the same way because of what Heraclitus said about the river. There would be no fun and no surprises. Better to go the way of Westworld or Battlestar Galactica where you take the original elements that are evergreens and put them in a blender with a ton of new, challenging ideas, to create something both fresh and familiar.

To those who have asked why we’re not just doing a continuation…for a network series like this, it can’t be done because over half our cast are still stubbornly on the other side of the Rim. How do you telling continuing story of our original Londo without the original Vir? Or G’Kar? How do you tell Sheridan’s story without Delenn? Or the story of B5 without Franklin? Garibaldi? Zack?

The original Babylon 5 was ridiculously innovative: the first to use CGI to create ships and characters, and among the very first to shoot widescreen with a vigorous 5.1 mix. Most of all, for the first time, Babylon 5 introduced viewers accustomed to episodic television to the concept of a five-year arc with a pre-planned beginning, middle and end…creating a brand new paradigm for television storytelling that has subsequently become the norm. That tradition for innovation will continue in this new iteration, and I hope to create additional new forms of storytelling that will further push the television medium to the edge of what’s possible.

Let me conclude by just saying how supportive and enthusiastic everyone at the CW has been and is being with this project. They understand the unique position Babylon 5 occupies both in television and with its legions of fans, and are doing everything they can to ensure the maximum in creative freedom, a new story that will bring in new viewers while honoring all that has come before.

This is the part I like best:

...take the original elements that are evergreens and put them in a blender with a ton of new, challenging ideas, to create something both fresh and familiar.

[AstroBoy]

The most important question is if Steve Grimm is going to reactivate the Lurker's guide. I can't imagine B5 without a weekly (frequently more) visit to the Lurker's guide.

[Jan]

The most important question is if Steve Grimm is going to reactivate the Lurker's guide. I can't imagine B5 without a weekly (frequently more) visit to the Lurker's guide.

I'm not sure of this but I'd heard at one point that he doesn't own the site any longer.

[Jan]

A quick illustration on the realities of show business for the folks who've commented (here and elsewhere) that they wish JMS would write something new instead of doing a B5 reboot. As you mostly know, I'm a JMS fan more than just a B5 fan. So I checked my notes and here's some info on the scripts that JMS has mentioned doing in the past. These are all sitting on a shelf somewhere:

10 TV pilot scripts
14 feature film scripts

Some were spec and some were commissioned and I'm not going to give a list or any other details. That's up to JMS if he chooses. But remember, these are just the ones I know about.