Walter Koenig: More Babylon 5?

[Lope de Aguirre]

http://trekmovie.com/2011/08/17/koen...tor-to-chekov/

Would be awesome if they are actually on it even though the assured last reboot project perished with it's distribuition concept.

[Jan]

I'm convinced that what Walter was talking about is the failed project. JMS himself has said a few times that the talks he's in with WB is very early and informal. That's nothing that he'd call 'looking good' but he *did* think that about the 'after April' thing.

Jan

[DGTWoodward]

Which rights are we talking about here, doesn't JMS already own the movie rights to B5?

Besides which, if things like this are put forward, folks always assume that a person needs to negotiate for all of the property in question.

If JMS is indeed in talks for a certain element of rights to B5 other than the movie rights, he does not need to negotiate for all 100% of them, he only needs to reach the position of 51%; He will have all the control he needs and WB will still rake in 49% of any profits made on any new B5.

If.....

[Jan]

And here we've got a perfect example (not just here, either) of people getting excited over nothing much. Only a couple of weeks ago JMS said that the talks he's in with WB are informal with nothing likely to come of them for a year or so. And yet they quote Walter saying things 'look good'? It just doesn't work that way. And to quote JMS on the 15th:

bullydawg23 Jim
@straczynski do you have any B5 stuff in the works?

straczynski JMichael Straczynski
@bullydawg23 Not at this moment.

With no disrespect to Walter, I'll take the direct word of JMS over that of an actor reporting on a dinner at some unknown time (as was originally tweeted over the weekend).

Jan

[vakie]

No one is asking you to do otherwise, Jan. Bester didn't state that any new B5 was in the works, he just said that JMS was in negotiations with WB to re-acquire the rights, and that he (Bester) thinks that would portend something new in the B5 universe. You don't have to be a D.Sc. to make the latter conclusion - one normally doesn't buy rights to something without the intention of producing on that basis.
The "animateness" Bester mentioned stemmed not from the fact that JMS had a new product up his sleeve, but from the fact that for once WB was treating him with the measure of respect he's entitled to.

Yes, I agree with this. JMS saying there is no B5 in the works at the moment means, he has to see these (possibly lengthy) negotiations through before he will start writing or planning anything for a story. So there is no B5 in the works, but there are negotiations going on which might allow for something to happen after they are done.

[Jan]

http://spinoff.comicbookresources.co...lon-5-revival/

Straczynski, however, said thatÆs simply not the case. ôWalter misspoke,ö he said this afternoon in a statement to Spinoff Online. ôI am not in negotiations with WB to develop more Babylon 5.ö

Told'ja...

Jan

[vlassisp]

Correct me if I am wrong, but from what I can understand, WB can't do anything new with B5 without JMS's cooperation. They can't put somebody else to rewrite it, or expand it, or even remake it without JMS's permission. JMS effectively owns B5 as a creator, he owns the charachters and the names, etc. From what I understand, what he has given to WB is only the TV production and distribution rights of his creation, in essence whatever it was needed back in the 90's for WB to put the money and make it a tv show. If this is true, then JMS has the latitude to negotiate the rights back with a relatively low price.

[Jan]

Not correct. Warner Brothers owns Babylon 5, airlock, council chamber and PPG. The only exception is that JMS owns the feature film rights.

While by contract JMS has to be *involved* with anything else B5-related, we don't know that that involvement includes 'veto' rights' to anything WB might decide to do. It might only mean that they have to pay JMS a creator's/consultant's fee.

Jan

[vlassisp]

So WB can effectively ignore JMS any time they want and hire someone else to rewrite it? Just like Galactica, when the studio totally ignored Larson and hired Ronald D. Moore for the reboot?

[Jan]

Theoretically, that's correct. In the case of B5, though, there'd very likely be a major fan backlash so it would be a risk for them. There was far less 'canon' established for the original BSG.

Jan

[Joe Nazzaro]

Warners can do a B5 re-boot without the slightest involvement. If you think this sort of thing is incomprehensible, just look at the new a few months ago of a Buffy re-boot without Joss Whedon. Should a studio re-boot a popular franchise without the help of the person that created it? Probably not? Will they risk of a very vocal fandom that will do anything they can to stop it? Absolutely? But frankly, I'm not sure it would stop a group of of studio executives hell-bent on a course of self-destruction.

[Triple F]

Correct me if I am wrong, but from what I can understand, WB can't do anything new with B5 without JMS's cooperation. They can't put somebody else to rewrite it, or expand it, or even remake it without JMS's permission.

I can see how this can be confusing, as I’ve wondered myself. I see what your saying Jan/Joe, but jms has made a few statements around what rights he has with regard to any new B5 series, with this being the most direct.

http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-17011

Well, yeah, I did create the series, executive produce it, write 91 out of 110 episodes, and I do control many of the rights. And no deal can go forward without my involvement. By contract, if it doesn't happen with me, it doesn't happen. I still don't see what that has to do with anything, however.

It does seem to indicate (especially when reading the full reply) that there’s more to it than just getting some payment from WB if they decided to go and do a B5 series with another writer.

And jms saying
“Walter misspoke: I am not in negotiations with WB to develop more Babylon 5.”

Isn’t actually a reply to the main point of what Walter said
“[Straczynski] told me that he is in negations to re-acquire the rights to Babylon 5 and it looks pretty good. Now what that portends I am not entirely sure. It could be a new series or it could be a feature film, but he was quite animated about it. He seemed very excited and Warner Bros. is dealing with him in good faith. So you might see another Babylon 5 in the not-too-distant future.”

As someone else mentioned, negotiations to develop more B5 and negotiations to re-acquire the rights are two different things – and I’ve come to realise that jms can walk a very very fine line when wording his replies. ; )

[Jan]

Eeeexactly! Actually, for what it's worth, JMS' reply confirms what Bester said, or at least implies that it's true.

<annoyed>Who's this Bester you keep referring to? It's rather rude to constantly call Walter Koenig by the wrong name.

And what part of "Walter misspoke" is ambiguous?

Let it go people. You're beating a dead horse.

Jan

[Triple F]

ItÆs interesting, unfortunate and sooo very typical that the quoted article makes a rather big assumption and puts it right in front of the opening bit of what jms actually said on facebook. They put words in his mouth. ; ) (Highlight added by me)

Straczynski, however, said thatÆs simply not the case. ôWalter misspoke,ö he said this afternoon in a statement to Spinoff Online. ôI am not in negotiations with WB to develop more Babylon 5."

He never said (so far at least) ôthatÆs simply not the caseö and it looks like that site is lifting quotes from facebook and saying that theyÆre part of a statement to THEIR site. Bunch of cowboys by the look of it. ; )


@ Jan
ThereÆs no ambiguity. jms said Walter mispoke and then provided a clarifying statement . . . . . about not being in negotiations about developing something B5. Didn't say anything about negotiaqtions about the rights. But your correct of course. It's all just talking to ourselves in the rain (including yourself, and what you think jms meant ; ).

[Jan]

He never said (so far at least) ôthatÆs simply not the caseö and it looks like that site is lifting quotes from facebook and saying that theyÆre part of a statement to THEIR site. Bunch of cowboys by the look of it. ; )

I can't be certain of the timing but I saw the CBR article at least an hour or two ahead of JMS's post on Facebook.

Jan