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A late word from JMS

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  • #31
    Ok, let us begin to sift through and attempt to interpret the Great Maker's latest mystery in words. These are my thoughts on the matters at hand:



    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.)
    This explains itself fairly well. Yay! WB allowed him to speak the truth! (Although I'm sure that now-well-known disclaimer will be prominantly displayed stating that the opinions expressed do not represent the views of WB or its affiliates.) This will be a very welcome thing. The truth at last. As for the last bit...this I take to be a hint to R2 folks to be patient, the full movie box set will be released there, not the truncated version you're seeing listed now. This should be welcome news for you all.


    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.
    This is the most telling and fascinating section. Note that the revelation about a new series of novels is in a seperate paragraph with the word "also" preceeding it as a qualifier. So, here's how I would interpret this section.

    Although he told us some items TMoS wasn't, due to TMoS (remember he told us recently new things have popped up because of TMoS), one of the items he told us it wasn't is now in the works as something new in the B5 universe, and that in addition to that new item, there is also a new series of books in the works. Therefore, I see this as a indication of the "in spades" comment JMS made before. We're getting a new series of novels and something else new that's from the "list of things it ain't" and The Memory of Shadows.

    Now the question is, what was that list again? And...what is the newest project that's from that list? (A new series, perhaps? )


    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.
    The play sounds amazing, though sadly, I doubt I will ever get the chance to see it performed living in Memphis, TN. However, the last line is also very telling. He is clearly indicating that he will soon be spending some time in London. This is obviously job related...the question is...does it have to do with TMoS, or something else? My guess is that it has to do with TMoS...and may be some slight clarification on the "wrong side of the river" statement he made before. (I know, I know..."the wrong side of the river" is not a phrase commonly used in such a case, but hey, this is JMS we're talking about here...perhaps he was trying to give us a hint without being too obvious and while still channeling his Vorlon half. )


    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.
    This is the second most interesting section IMO. The mind reels with possibilities. While JMS did make that cryptic comment/non-comment in NJ about Trek, they have also made the announcement that Manny Cotto will take the reigns of Trek (at least for S4).

    So this begs the question...is Trek a next stop for the Great Maker? Or is there something new on the horizon that he's found so interesting he's agreed to take over as EP having not been the creator?

    It is here I will tell you a rumor (mind you I said a rumor!) that my insider source told me he heard in regards to the JMS/Trek issue, which might give some creedance to the "JMS will helm Trek" argument. My source told me that the rumor mill in Hollywood is that JMS was asked to take over Enterprise, but the problem is that he was asked to take it immediately, now. JMS said he would love to, but couldn't right away due to his other commitments (read B5 projects, etc.). Unfortunately, TPTB at Trek wanted someone right away. JMS said he could do it, if they could hold on for a while. The rumor more or less left it there...what the final outcome was to this suspected conversation, my source did not know...but it was supposedly a door that was not closed...leaving it a possibility that JMS could come on board once his schedule cleared. This could explain the Cotto decision as an interim move until JMS could take over, since the rumor also indicated that TPTB at Paramount wanted JMS very badly. This is only rumor and speculation so take it as such.

    The new series could well be something totally new and fresh. For all we know it could be the new SF series that's not set in the Trek universe that B&B are creating. (I doubt this very seriously, but hey, you never know.)

    There is also nothing to say that the new series is an SF series at all. His wording could be read many different ways, so only time will truly tell on this one. This does, however, make one wonder whether the project that is an "adjunct to TMoS" is a new B5 series or not. You must ask yourself, "would JMS take on EPing a new show he didn't create and EP and run a new B5 series simultaneously?" If he's only acting as EP on the new show to help in guiding it, then the answer could be, "yes, JMS could do both." If he will be more active in this other new show than that, in addition to TMoS and the comics, then that answer could well be, "no, JMS wouldn't stretch himself so thin, especially when handling a new B5 series, so therefore I must conclude that the "adjunct" project is not a new B5 series."

    Ok, I think my thoughts have run the circuit enough for now.



    One last thought for you all:

    YAY! HAPPY DANCE! MORE AND MORE B5! B5 "IN SPADES"! YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAA!

    CE
    Anthony Flessas
    Writer/Producer/Director,
    SP Pictures


    I have no avatar! I walk in mystery and need nothing to represent who and what I am!

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    • #32
      Given the location of that tech's assemblyline, I don't see anyone being able to replicate that
      The location is unimportant. The technology is quite portable. And we know from one of the unfilmed Crusade scripts that the attempt was indeed made.

      Regards,

      Joe
      Joseph DeMartino
      Sigh Corps
      Pat Tallman Division

      Comment


      • #33
        adjunct to TMoS = Animated One-off DVD

        A few recent movies have had an animated story on DVD released almost simultaneously with the theatrical release - e.g. Van Helsing and I believe Riddick.

        I think that the B5 universe could easily support a one-off self-contained animated story on DVD.

        I know I would buy it, wouldn't you? - More profit for the studio too I guess...
        Paraphrasing Marcus:
        I find it a great comfort that the Universe is NOT fair. Imagine if it were and all the bad things that happened to you really WERE your fault

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        • #34
          JMS said he would be spending more time in London.

          Does that mean that TMoS ( or part of it ) will happen over here?

          ( or as in an announcment from over here....)

          either way - good news is coming in spades at the moment - I wonder what is next. Alan Rickman as a Psi Cop.

          Now that would be something....
          Duracell Bunny is arrested and charged with BATTERY!!

          Comment


          • #35
            Also....

            Isn't there rumoured to be a Star Wars Series in the offing.

            Whos to say GL hasn't approached JMS regarding that one.
            Duracell Bunny is arrested and charged with BATTERY!!

            Comment


            • #36
              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's wording here seems to point towards a new series, one not currently out yet. Anything is possible. Should be interesting.

              Hopefully, after B5 tmos is complete, a new B5 series will start up again. Would be nice...

              Comment


              • #37
                May I throw around a bit of rampant speculation?

                Originally posted by Sigma
                Another JMS post:
                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.

                *SNIP*

                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
                Perhaps these two items are related. JMS EPs this mystery network series (perhaps revitalize Enterprise?) and in return they give him carte blanche for new B5 series for the following fall.

                I myself would rate the possibility of that happening rather low, but it is something that occured to me...
                Got movies? www.filmbuffonline.com

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                • #38
                  My issue with JMS and Trek is "does it HAVE to be Enterprise?" Personally I would much rather see him create a new Trek series, but then again Enterprise is in the "nowhere to go but UP" category.......and a genius like JMS may even be capable of the near-impossible (make the show really, REALLY GOOD) Although this season has been better I'm still finding the show barely watchable. And even that's a bit of an exaggeration
                  "The cat is not evil for killing the rat, nor is the rat evil for stealing the grain. Each acts according to its nature." Master Po - Kung Fu:TOS

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                  • #39
                    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.
                    Very sad that we never got commentary from Michael O'Hare, Bill Mumy, or Andreas Katsulas. I'm sure we missed hearing some great stories, and amusing and intelligent chatter.

                    Aisling

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                    • #40
                      I also thought that the comment of England and Australia keeping eyes on the horizon referred to the release of the DVDs on those places...

                      The Executive Producer position on a network series, I think JMS meant a new project "when I heard what this project was, I had to get on board" sounds to me like a new project, if his comment was more like "when I heard what they were planning to do with the series" I'd believe it was intended as work in an existing series.
                      Anyway, I wouldn't watch Star Trek Enterprise even if JMS was the EP... I might watch a new Trek series started by JMS, but the whole idea seems unlikely to me anyway.
                      Remember that he worked in crime/mistery shows (Murder, She Wrote; Jake and the Fatman") and in the 1980s Twilight Zone, and in several cartoons. The EP position may be for an animated anthology mistery series for all we know.

                      The only media tie-in novels I've ever read are those of Babylon 5, I do expect those to be worth reading. (But I won't spend a second reading any other tie-in, there is way too much good original SF, both new and classic, I'd rather read.)

                      About the possible technomage storyline in The Memory of Shadows: it does tie in with the title for that story, but I don't think it is what grumbler suggested.

                      But I have moved my discussion of those points to the spoiler-thread... following his suggestion made after this post
                      Last edited by Capt.Montoya; 06-15-2004, 07:44 PM.
                      Such... is the respect paid to science that the most absurd opinions may become current, provided they are expressed in language, the sound of which recalls some well-known scientific phrase
                      James Clerk Maxwell (1831-79)

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        I have started another thread to discuss the TM tie-ins, as (mea culpa) I started something here that may ruin the TM trilogy for those who haven't seen it. I didn't realize how visible those light font colors were when bolded.

                        Let's let the trilogy stay a surprise for those who haven't read it.
                        I believe that when we leave a place, part of it goes with us and part of us remains. Go anywhere in the station, when it is quiet, and just listen. After a while, you will hear the echoes of all our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we are gone .. our voices will linger in these walls for as long as this place remains. But I will admit .. that the part of me that is going .. will very much miss the part of you that is staying.

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                        • #42
                          England...what other SF work is going on over here?....Doctor Who? Could JMS be working on Dr Who? Just a thought!
                          Where are we going? And why are we in this hand basket?

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            No, JMS has already squelched that rumor. Here's how he replied to it yesterday evening over on the moderated newsgroup:

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

                            << Now, I don't normally go in for this "piecing the clues together" stuff, but... it *can't* be Doctor Who, can it? >>

                            Negative. It'd be a dream come true, no mistake, but no, it ain't that.

                            jms

                            ([email protected])
                            (all message content (c) 2004 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
                            permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
                            and don't send me story ideas)

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

                            Aisling

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                            • #44
                              Does that mean that TMoS ( or part of it ) will happen over here?
                              JMS makes it sound like his visit to London is going to be in the near future and of comparatively brief duration. Given that a major SF film with tons of FX, alien make ups and extravagent sets can require anywhere from six to twelve months just for pre-production it seems incredibly unlikely that his business in London involves starting production on the film.

                              ( or as in an announcment from over here....)
                              Any film made anywhere in the world is aimed at the domestic box office first and foremost. International sales are nice, but films are judged by how they perform at home. Same with TV shows. B5 was not an international television production, it was an American TV show that also happened to be broadcast in other countries. If the ratings hadn't held up on American TV the show would have been cancelled even if it were the number one show in the U.K. or Italy or where-have-you.

                              B5: TMoS will be no exception. It is going to be an American film made for an American audience (just as Star Wars and Alien were, for all that they were shot in England.)

                              The Warner Bros. Studio is headquartered in Burbank California.

                              Parent company Time-Warner, Inc. is headquartered in New York, New York.

                              Why on Earth would they announce a major new film in London of all places? It simply doesn't make any sense.

                              Regards,

                              Joe
                              Joseph DeMartino
                              Sigh Corps
                              Pat Tallman Division

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Joe DeMartino wrote:

                                JMS makes it sound like his visit to London is going to be in the near future and of comparatively brief duration.
                                Not sure I follow your reasoning here, Joe. How long is 'comparatively brief'? I'm wondering because of JMS' statements about his play. It seems that if JMS is thinking of doing even a limited run of his play as he stated...

                                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.
                                ...that it would take a fair amount of time even if he's not Stage Managing (or whatever a 'showrunner' type is called in Theater). It almost looks like 'a bit of time' and 'a fair amount of time' may have gotten mixed up in that last sentance.

                                Or is 'comparatively brief' comparing to the months involved in a film production?

                                Jan
                                "As empathy spreads, civilization spreads. As empathy contracts, civilization contracts...as we're seeing now.

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