A late word from JMS

[AmyG]

Hi, all.

First of all, meaning absolutely _no_ disrespect whatsoever to the memory of Rick Biggs, there is nothing in JMS's statement that makes it clear that Franklin was an important part of the TMoS story. He says "because in the writing we/I never imagined he wouldn't be here to be a part of it." All that says is that they always thought he'd be there - not that his part was necessarily a large, or pivotal one in this story.

As for recasting him, I say bleh! I can't imagine that _anyone_ working in connection with this project in _any_ capacity would agree to this. Unless the story actually centered around Dr. Franklin (highly doubtful), there are numerous creative ways the character can be written around. And most likely will be. Not that sf doctors are interchangeable, but can you imagine the first Star Trek film featuring, say, Charles Bronson as Dr. McCoy? Nope. No way, no how. Better to have Franklin working in Earthdome, or depending on the time frame, already quarantined on Earth during the Drakh plague (not likely; I'm guessing - HOPING! - the film takes place between 2263 and 2267).

Regarding using another doctor for storyline purposes, I sure hope it won't be Dr. Chambers! I'm much more fond of Dr. Hobbes, both as a character and because of the level of ability of the respective actresses.

Anyway, it's such a hard time - we want to be happy right now with the great news that there's going to be a Babylon 5 film - news so firm and definitive that we actually have a title! - yet the grief for Rick Biggs is still so fresh, and so sharply defined. It's hard to be human, sometimes.

Aisling

[B5_Obsessed]

On Replacing Biggs

I don't think recasting is an option (at least to JMS) since JMS is talking about having to restructure the script. If they were thinking of recasting, they'd just leave it and go.

Something I think you're all forgetting is that Franklin isn't just a doctor. Sure, the medical babble can be spoken by Drs Hobbes, Kyle, Chambers, or Phlox for all it matters, but Franklin was a principal character; a friend to all involved. JMS says the characters speak to him when he writes. Whatever personal moments there might have been between Franklin and his old friends must now be altered or removed entirely. Franklin was always the soul-searcher, the deep-thinker, the show's moral center. His lines can't just be shunted to someone else. It wouldn't ring true to JMS... or to us.

[SciFiRanger]

To B5_Obsessed

I could'nt have said it better myself.

[CRONAN]

It stood for the Memory of Shadows???? !@#$! Never would have guessed. So simplistic, its damn decieving.

Yes, the script in its current form will have to be restructured. The finished product is likely to leave us wondering as to how the heck Franklin would have fit in in the first place.

[Sigma]

Another JMS post:

From: [email protected] (jms at b5)
Subject: re: various from jms
To: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Date: 6/15/2004 5:58:58 AM << Newer : List : Older >>

No Thread

Okay, let's try this again. Best to break the ice by just sort of doing a
round-up of what's going on and what's coming and suchlike.

I'll try to address some of the questions that have come up about what's coming
up.

On the movies DVDs, and what's inside: the main thing is that we've got
commentaries on literally every one of them. Mike Vejar and I did a commentary
on In the Beginning, I did one with John Iacovelli on The Gathering, and
another with Janet Greek and Tracy Scoggins on River of Souls. I can't
remember now if I solo'd on A Call to Arms or if Mike was there as well (it all
blurs after a while...I've done something like fifteen of these things by now).

There's a separate cast commentary on Thirdspace with, I think, Pat, Jeff,
Jesus Trevino, and one or two others.

On the Crusade DVDs, there's one commentary I did on the original pilot (once
WB and I came to a meeting of minds, to wit, "I'm gonna say what happened to
the show, what *really* happened...you got a problem with that?"). There's a
second commentary track with Fiona, Janet, Peter Woodward and Carrie Dobro.

(We interrupt this message with a coded message for our friends in England and
Australia: keep your eyes on the horizon.)

One oddity...constant readers will remember a while back when I was asked what
TMoS was, and I provided a list of things it *wasn't*. The aforementioned
oddity is...one of those things has come up as an adjunct to TMoS.

Also, expect word fairly soon-ish about a new series of B5 novels.

Elsewhere on the prose front...Straczynski Unplugged is out now, and
Tribulations will be coming out in December.

I've turned in all three final Rising Stars scripts, and the first issue of the
last arc comes out in October, I hear.

Next week a new arc and a new artist starts on Amazing Spider-Man, and it's a
stinking cool issue. You can read a preview of the whole issue for free at:

http://www.milehighcomics.com/firstlook/marvel/spidey509/

On other projects...I'm making sudden progress with the medieval play I've been
twiddling with for the last few years, and may have it done in the next couple
of months. Once that happens, my plan is to do a limited, small production for
two weeks or so here in LA, just to see how the text works with an audience,
then take it away for another few months, twiddle with it some more, then go
for a larger venue. I may do something similar in London, since I may be
spending a bit amount of time there fairly soon.

And for those who've asked, I won't be in attendence at San Diego Comic Con
this year due to a variety of commitments.

Oh...and I've been offered an EP position on a network series, and while I
don't usually do that on shows I don't create or develop, when I heard what
this project was, I had to get on board. We still have to negotiate a deal,
and work out how that will interface with the stuff that'll be going on later
in the year, but fortunately the start date for the series should work out, at
least at this point.


jms

NOTE. Interesting parts in bold.

[Jan]

Oh...wow....

Sounds like it'll be interesting for a while!

Jan

[B5_Obsessed]

He's at it again.

Hmmm, London, England and Australia.
Does this mean they will be using Pinewood or Elstree Studios?
Does this, in fact, tie into the Winchester Films rumor in ANY way?
(I'm skeptical on that one)
Will we be getting location shots from the land down undah?

WILL B5:TMOS SPIN OFF A SERIES?!!!!


ACKKK!!!!!

(B5_Obsessed gurgles and expires)

[AmyG]

The finished product is likely to leave us wondering as to how the heck Franklin would have fit in in the first place.

We may not have to wonder forever. JMS has always been remarkably open about those kinds of things, at least when the actor left due to a departure. I think that someday he might be ready to share with us what Franklin's involvement in the story was going to be.

Aisling

[Ranger1]

OH MY GOD...that means that the crusade dvd's are on their way,its not a rumor anymore .. im so happppppy

[Stunaep]

Re: He's at it again.

Originally posted by B5_Obsessed
Hmmm, London, England and Australia.
Does this mean they will be using Pinewood or Elstree Studios?
Does this, in fact, tie into the Winchester Films rumor in ANY way?
(I'm skeptical on that one)
Will we be getting location shots from the land down undah?

WILL B5:TMOS SPIN OFF A SERIES?!!!!


ACKKK!!!!!

(B5_Obsessed gurgles and expires)

And there I was thinking that the england/australia message was referring to Region 2 DVD's.

I wouldn't go as far as to suggest a spin-off series from TMoS, especially since JMS never mentioned a series as something TMoS was not

but I can tell you a
few cases of what it *isn't*...it isn't a novel, or a short story, a comic, an
animated series, a radio drama or a stage play

I figure a novelisation of B5:TMoS is fairly possible. Especially since he mentioned a new line of B5 novels coming up in the near future.

[Joseph DeMartino]

OH MY GOD... that means that the crusade dvd's are on their way, it's not a rumor anymore

That hasn't been a "rumor" since last September when JMS announced both the Crusade discs and the TV movies. There was never any question about whether they would be released, only when, and with what features. If you regard JMS's statements as rumor because there wasn't an official announcement from Warner Bros. - well, there still hasn't been.

Regards,

Joe

[CRONAN]

One oddity...constant readers will remember a while back when I was asked what
TMoS was, and I provided a list of things it *wasn't*. The aforementioned
oddity is...one of those things has come up as an adjunct to TMoS.
----------
it isn't a novel, or a short story, a comic, an
animated series, a radio drama or a stage play. Beyond that, deponent sayeth
not.
-----------------------------

To me, it seems choice between a comic or animated series.

B5 an animated series? Now that has possibilities!

No need to worry about sets, prosthetics, costumes, etc. Assuming it is an animated series, hopefully it will all be in CGI.

[Joseph DeMartino]

I figure a novelisation of B5:TMoS is fairly possible. Especially since he mentioned a new line of B5 novels coming up in the near future.

I think a novelization is too obvious and not really anything new. And the books sound like more original novels, or anthologies. I just don't think he'd plug a novelization, which is so routine for big Hollywood movies these days, the literary equivalent of a toy in a Happy Meal, in a post like this.

I wouldn't go as far as to suggest a spin-off series from TMoS, especially since JMS never mentioned a series as something TMoS was not

Actually a series was one of the first things he ruled out, months before the post you quoted. (Which was sort of a round-up of guesses that had been made after his earlier [post on the subject, which also ruled out a "print project" of any kind.)

I'm skeptical about a live-action series being proposed before the feature film is even shot, although anything is possible. I think a comic-book tie in is actually more likely.

And there I was thinking that the england/australia message was referring to Region 2 DVD's.

I still think that's what he's talking about.

If there's anything to the rumor that JMS was talking to Winchester films about anything I suspect it is a non-B5 project of their own, and that may well be what he's going over to London for. (Since, again, there will be more rewrites and lots of preliminary work, most of which will fall to the director, before production can begin on TMoS, so this is a good time for JMS to handle other matters that he has pending.)

I also doubt that they've gone as far in the planning as to pick a studio to shoot at. (Especially since they'll need to have deals set and schedules coordinated with the actors before they can book studio space.)

The one still-unanswered question vis a vis the DVD movie set is whether or not TG (which especially needs it) and ItB are getting new transfers as well as new Dolby Digital sound mixes, commentaries and other extras. Hope so. Sounds like Michael O'Hare won't be on the movie set, which is a pity since TG and ItB represented his last chance to contribute to the DVDs. It also sounds like we won't be getting the original version of TG as part of the set, if only as an historical curiosity. I had lobbied Warner Home Video to include it, but either they weren't interested, it was too expensive, or JMS vetoed the idea. (Or maybe it was a combination of the three.)

Good news about the Crusade commentary. I just wonder if JMS can really tell us what he thinks of TNT in a mere 42 minutes plus opening and closing credits.

Oh, well, tiny fragments of solid fact, and lots more material for speculation to keep us busy and off his back for awhile. A classic JMS post. I believe shark fisherman refer to this process as "chumming the waters".

Regards,

Joe

[NotKosh]

Re: On Replacing Biggs

Originally posted by B5_Obsessed


Something I think you're all forgetting is that Franklin isn't just a doctor. Sure, the medical babble can be spoken by Drs Hobbes, Kyle, Chambers, or Phlox for all it matters, but Franklin was a principal character; a friend to all involved. JMS says the characters speak to him when he writes. Whatever personal moments there might have been between Franklin and his old friends must now be altered or removed entirely. Franklin was always the soul-searcher, the deep-thinker, the show's moral center. His lines can't just be shunted to someone else. It wouldn't ring true to JMS... or to us.

Yes and no. G'Kar also shares those traits. As does Delenn.

[NotKosh]

Originally posted by grumbler


I hope CE's prediction of a trilogy is true, because what I could see the main plotline of such a trilogy involving is ....


***** spoiler alert for the TM trilogy! ****************


(highlight to see)
The attempt by rogue elements of Earthforce (or the PsiCorps) to create new technomages!


*****************************

Now, wouldn't THAT be cool!

I couldn't.

Given the location of that tech's assemblyline, I don't see anyone being able to replicate that