NEW Babylon 5 Series in Development!

[Jan]

It's okay! Not feeling picked on at all. I welcome the discussion. I guess the central thrust of what I'm saying is 'why go back?'. Of course the reboot would be radically different, but it's still wading into the same river twice. On an approach from WB, the rebuttal could always be, 'no, we already did that. It had a beginning, middle and end. But I do have this great idea for a new prestige SF show...".

Glad to hear you don't feel picked on! Keep in mind that the approach from WB would actually be an approach from the CW regardless of what ownership tangles there are. Unless things have changed radically, WB keeps all divisions in competition with each other. So generally, when somebody approaches you with money in hand, one doesn't try to derail that, IME.

I figure that the 'why' boils down to three (maybe more) aspects of consideration:
- the chance to return to a beloved universe
- JMS had a really great idea of how to go about it. Recall, a previous reboot opportunity almost happened several years ago so there's been plenty of time to think of it.
- The offered him money and that's how he makes his living. Despite having other avenues of income such as comics and Patreon, this is his main living-writing.

What puzzles me and I've probably phrased it somewhat confrontationally before is why people are so dead-set against the reimagining while still declaring B5 a masterpiece and classic. True masterpieces and classics, particularly performing arts are *enhanced* by new interpretations, not diminished. Yet so many people insist that B5 was a once-and-only. I don't get it. Yes, the reimagining will be different. Yes, there will be new actors with familiar names (probably). But I don't se why that can't be as great or maybe even better than the original, given the growth JMS has had as a writer over these years.

[Ubik]

Glad to hear you don't feel picked on! Keep in mind that the approach from WB would actually be an approach from the CW regardless of what ownership tangles there are. Unless things have changed radically, WB keeps all divisions in competition with each other. So generally, when somebody approaches you with money in hand, one doesn't try to derail that, IME.

I figure that the 'why' boils down to three (maybe more) aspects of consideration:
- the chance to return to a beloved universe
- JMS had a really great idea of how to go about it. Recall, a previous reboot opportunity almost happened several years ago so there's been plenty of time to think of it.
- The offered him money and that's how he makes his living. Despite having other avenues of income such as comics and Patreon, this is his main living-writing.

What puzzles me and I've probably phrased it somewhat confrontationally before is why people are so dead-set against the reimagining while still declaring B5 a masterpiece and classic. True masterpieces and classics, particularly performing arts are *enhanced* by new interpretations, not diminished. Yet so many people insist that B5 was a once-and-only. I don't get it. Yes, the reimagining will be different. Yes, there will be new actors with familiar names (probably). But I don't se why that can't be as great or maybe even better than the original, given the growth JMS has had as a writer over these years.

Don't get me wrong... I'd watch a re-imagining / reboot, and I'm not 100% dead set against B5 getting another outing. In the broader scheme of things, I guess nothing else has really stuck for JMS TV wise, so it makes sense to go back to the B5 universe if it's something that he can get off the ground. And of course if someone if offering paid work, you tend to take it.

However, for me (and this is very much just my personal perspective) it still feels a bit like creative stagnation, or a step backwards to go back and re-do something you've already done. Sure it can be different, but then why not do something totally new. Take all those lessons learnt and smash the genre into bits again with something we've not seen before.

[Jan]

However, for me (and this is very much just my personal perspective) it still feels a bit like creative stagnation, or a step backwards to go back and re-do something you've already done. Sure it can be different, but then why not do something totally new. Take all those lessons learnt and smash the genre into bits again with something we've not seen before.

See above for a small fraction of the things unmade that we've not seen before and probably won't. Sadly, that's the nature of the business. At least three of those were *amazing* and only one not to my taste at all. Though I suppose one might say that 'Red Mars' and 'Repent' aren't actually somethin we've not seen before - but since you liked 'Expanse', I count them.

[nottenst]

If JMS is going to do a years spanning SF epic, why not a B5 reimagining? Whatever he does will automatically be compared with B5 if it approaches anything like it. So, if he can get the kind of deal it looked like he was getting from the CW, I would be all for it. At the moment things look grim, but despite all the articles we've seen we don't really know anything solid.

[LateArrival]

He's had quite a number of pilots out in the wild (SF and non-SF) for sale and 'Rising Stars' (and I think, 'Midnight Nation') has been optioned a few times. He hardly 'leans on his older work'. The fact is that like most, one doesn't hear of them since, like most, they're not picked up.

A couple of posts from overnight:

Looks like some of those posts appear in an article from the 13th.
https://bleedingcool.com/tv/babylon-...reboot-rumors/

[G'Quan]

When the possibility of a B5 reboot was first mooted, I posted about it on another forum which is not specifically B5 related but has a fair few fans (its actually a politics forum which I guess kind of tracks with all the politics on the show). The reaction was actually quite negative. The feeling was basically that you can't improve on perfection, that what was made in the 90s is something special that should be left alone. Personally I was in two minds, JMS is a terrific writer, but reboots rarely improve on the original. At any rate, its probably a moot point now.

[LateArrival]

When the possibility of a B5 reboot was first mooted, I posted about it on another forum which is not specifically B5 related but has a fair few fans (its actually a politics forum which I guess kind of tracks with all the politics on the show). The reaction was actually quite negative. The feeling was basically that you can't improve on perfection, that what was made in the 90s is something special that should be left alone. Personally I was in two minds, JMS is a terrific writer, but reboots rarely improve on the original. At any rate, its probably a moot point now.

Whether or not the reboot/re-imagining/etc goes forward or ends up as another-script-on-a-shelf, was also originally in the no-reboot camp but changed opinions after watching some of his "podcast" (?) interviews for his novel Together We Will Go. Would guess those (3 or 4?) podcasts are probably online somewhere, but in them JMS spoke of (to paraphrase) Having More Tools In His Toolbox as writer now than he did in the 90s. If you recall G'Kar's Declaration of Principles, technically everyone had to sign-it-again as he rewrote it and... it was Better. Obviously there is the Lightning-in-a-Bottle motif, as would need excellent actors in addition to stories and special effects, but if anyone could pull a "reboot" off, he certainly could.

Unrelated: Sorry to hear about that shiny-clean VHS cover that got scribbled-on by some random people. Maybe get some rubbing alcohol and you can polish it back to a pristine state again?

[Looney]

Unrelated: Sorry to hear about that shiny-clean VHS cover that got scribbled-on by some random people. Maybe get some rubbing alcohol and you can polish it back to a pristine state again?

OMG Yes! It really needs to be cleaned LMAO!!!!

[G'Quan]

OMG Yes! It really needs to be cleaned LMAO!!!!

I've got a whole bunch of photos with scrawl all over too! Maybe if I post some of them you can all suggest a good cleaning product.

[Jan]

I've got a whole bunch of photos with scrawl all over too! Maybe if I post some of them you can all suggest a good cleaning product.

Y'know...sometimes it's best just to make sure you don't make the 'damage' even worse! Yes, I'm sure if you ever decide to part with them, you may have to discount them heavily but...ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?

[Jan]

Dropping this here so I can find it again. He's said much the same thing before.

https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/1609419705961566214

[Dodger]

I wonder what his new paradigm for TV storytelling is. Wasn't Babylon 5 originally suppose to be a 10-year arc over two shows, B5 and B prime.

[Jan]

I wonder what his new paradigm for TV storytelling is. Wasn't Babylon 5 originally suppose to be a 10-year arc over two shows, B5 and B prime.

Well, there were two five-year arc shows outlined. Yeah, I know that's a little pedantic but they were different shows in different locations.

[Jan]

Message from JMS on Patreon, open to all to read.

Babylon 5 Update: 2/7/23

There’s been a lot of talk and chatter about how the Babylon 5 reimagining must be dead because there’s been no new news in a while, taking silence as “it’s dead” and repeating that information online to anyone within range.

The only problem with that, is that it ain’t so. Not in any sense that matters.

Here’s the heart-meat core of it.

Every year, networks and streamers develop tons of pilot scripts, and a smaller parcel of produced pilots, only a small fraction of which cross the finish line into being ordered as series. For those that don’t get ordered, this is what happens:

The network or streamer calls the writer/producer, or that person’s agent, and tells them. I’ve gotten that call plenty of times over the years.

That call has not come.

Networks and streamers don’t just make a decision not to pick something up, and then not tell anyone. I’ve been in the television business for longer than there have been clouds, and I’ve never seen that happen. I’ve never even heard of it happening. If they pick up the project, they call; if they don’t pick up the project, they call. Again, they’re not shy about making that call: it gets done every day, every week, every month, every year.

It’s real simple: “Joe, listen, we loved the script but we couldn’t make the deal/money/schedule work, so we’re going to have to pass, but please be sure to bring us something else next development cycle.” Click, disconnect, move on. Easy-peasy, no harm, no foul, nature of the biz.

And my very next act, within the minute, would be to post the information to everyone reading this, because that’s also a part of the process.

But again: that call has not come. Not to me, my agent, or my attorney. Not to nobody.

Does this mean B5 is going to happen? No.

Does this mean it’s not going to happen? No.

ALL it means is that there are still discussions going on far above my pay grade, and that there’s an agenda or a purpose that I’m not privy to.

Could that no-go call come tomorrow? Sure, and that would be ridiculously sad.

Could the pickup call come tomorrow? Sure, and that would be ridiculously great.

But until then, Babylon 5 is Schrodinger’s TV show, neither alive nor dead, until somebody, somewhere, opens the box, looks inside to tell the tale, and calls me or my agent to say what they saw.

Silence out here means there’s conversation happening in there, and for my money, that’s a good thing.

Meanwhile: we wait.

More as I know it.

You have my word.

JMS

[Jan]

I like this answer!